


Danny Phantom: Hunting in the Night

by JH24



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-12 06:49:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12953682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JH24/pseuds/JH24
Summary: Vlad Plasmius and Skulker are hunting a strange ghost until Danny intervenes. After ruining his plans yet again, an enraged Plasmius shows our hero how far he's willing to go to achieve his goals.





	1. The Hunt

Author: JH24

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. This awesome show and all of its characters are property of Butch Hartman.

Rating: Rating: T

Genre: Action/Adventure

Spoilers: The story could take place somewhere after "Frightmare" but before "Phantom Planet."

Pairings: No Pairings

Main characters: Danny Phantom/Fenton, Vlad Plasmius/Masters, Skulker.

Outside characters: Jacqueline (human, small role), Juukka (animal ghost, important role) and several citizens of Amity Park.

_Bluemoonalto and Pearl84, I want to thank you both from the bottom of my heart for all your beta-reading, help, advice, support and patience. Without you both I would never have been able to post this fanfic or even finish it. I'm really grateful for your help. Thank you for everything!_

Author's Note: An old story I wrote back around 2006/2007. Every chapter of this story has been reworked.

* * *

**Danny Phantom fanfic: A clash of two half-ghosts**

"Target locked. Firing now!"

The panicked creature looked up and saw two missiles coming straight at him. He jumped high into the air and watched the missiles go underneath him; he made himself into a ball and spun several times before landing on all fours.

His relief didn't last long as he heard the sound of the missiles becoming louder. He turned around and discovered that the projectiles had changed their course and were coming for him again. His eyes widening in panic, he darted forward and started running, the missiles hot on his tail. He headed across a large empty parking lot belonging to an office complex.

Just before reaching the exit of the open lot, he dashed towards the right, running for a few more seconds and then jumping over a high, chain link fence separating the company parking area from a thicket.

Illuminated by a full moon, two figures were standing on the top of a nearby office-building, observing the events taking place.

"Skulker, he's hiding himself in those bushes."

"Not a problem."

At the last moment, just when it appeared the missiles would hit the fence, they went straight into the air, over the obstacle and once again moving towards their target.

"Impressive."

"Let's just say I've made a few changes."

The creature let out a scream in panic and jumped out of the vegetation; he now found himself on a four-lane road, looking around desperately for a new hiding place. He quickly realized he didn't have enough time. Trying to keep enough distance between himself and his pursuers, he decided to follow the road, running as hard as his body would allow.

"Skulker, he's in the open now. People will soon notice his presence."

"Don't worry, Plasmius," the hunter said in a reassuring tone. "I have everything under control."

The creature began to close on two cars directly in front of him. He jumped on the roof of the car that was closest to him.

"What was that, Eric? It sounded like something landed on our roof."

"I don't know, honey, but—"

The man couldn't finish his sentence as his wife started to scream. "Eric! There's a large tail on our back window, a  _devil's tail!_  There's a  _monster_  on our roof! Do something!"

"I'm driving, I can't just— MELISSA!?" His wife had just fainted in her seat.

Making sure there were no other drivers behind them, he slammed on the brakes. So far the creature had been holding steadily to the roof of the vehicle, but the force caused from the car's sudden halt made him lose his grip. He was thrown off the roof, landed with a hard thud face-down on the hood of the car and then slid forwards onto the road.

"What was that? What in the world was  _that?"_

The creature, who was lying on his belly on the cold road, quickly came to his senses and jumped into the air again. The two projectiles that had been following him flew over the car, still hot on his tail. He made a second, even larger leap into the air. This time, while still in mid-air, he turned around and fired a green ecto-blast from his right hand directly into the sky. The two projectiles changed their course and went after the just released ecto-energy. Their diversion gave the creature a few valuable seconds.

"Skulker, those missiles..."

"Just watch."

Plasmius was getting tired of this game. It was around 11:00 PM and they had been chasing this 'Juukka' for hours already.

Just before impact, the projectiles diverted their course, avoiding the energy-blast at the last moment. For a few seconds the missiles made several small circles, as if confused; after that, the two weapons went after their original target once more.

Vlad frowned as he observed where Juukka was heading. "Skulker, he's running towards that crossing. I don't want him causing any accidents."

At this point Juukka made a jump over the second car, which was now waiting for a traffic light. He dashed forward, running through the intersection on all fours as fast as he possibly could. It wasn't fast enough. A car approached from the right; the creature became blinded by the headlights and used his right hand to shield his eyes. But he couldn't run as fast on only two legs, and that proved to be his undoing.

"What is that  _thing!?"_

"Dad, STOP! You're going to hit it!"

"I'm trying! Hang on!"

With a heavy sound the car collided with Juukka at full force. The creature let out an agonizing scream as the impact threw him backwards.

"What was that? Who is...?" The man stammered from behind the steering wheel while looking at the strange thing, beast, or whatever it was, lying motionlessly in front of the headlights. His face was pale and his body was trembling. "Jacqueline, are you alright?"

"I-I'm f-fine. You?"

"Thank goodness you're okay." He let out a sigh of relief. "I'm alright as well."

She smiled at hearing her father's reassuring words, but that smile quickly disappeared when she realized what had just happened. "Dad, I think we've just hit an animal." She opened the door and raced outside towards the creature.

"Jacqueline, come back to the car this instant!" He then stepped out of the vehicle and caught up with his daughter. "We don't even know what it is, but that's definitely not a normal animal."

Jacqueline had sat down next to the creature, slowly stretching her hand towards it.

"Keep your hands away from that, that, whatever that is, and get back into the car! I'm not going to say—" her father didn't finish his sentence as he got a good view of the creature that was lying there. "I've... I've never seen something like  _that_  before. What is it?"

"Skulker, those missiles," Plasmius said, defeated, while pinching the bridge of his nose. Could this get any worse?

"Oh, right." He pushed a few buttons on the small remote he was holding. Both missiles flew away from the intersection and higher into the air.

Plasmius didn't say anything else, as his attention was drawn to the accident that had just taken place. At this point more people were stepping out of their cars and gathering around the motionless creature.

Jacqueline was still sitting beside it.  _What is it?_   _An animal? A ghost?_

The being was not very tall, she estimated that he was about five feet in length, not including his long tail. His skin was covered with a black fur, grizzled with grey and patches of green, and he had powerful claws on both his feet and hands. His chest, as well as the end of his legs and arms was covered with dark green armor parts outlined with a blood-red edge.

The creature's head intrigued her the most. He was wearing a dark green helmet that seemed to resemble a wolf of some sort, with a mask attached to it covering his snout except for the eyes and lower jaw. Also, there seemed to be four grey spikes attached on top of the helmet. They were flat, had a wide base at the bottom, were long, pointed, sharp and jagged along their length. Furry, pointy ears were visible at both sides of his head, sticking out of his helmet through two holes.

There was a strange symbol in the center of his chest plate, reminding her of a capital 'J,' giving off an eerie golden glow. She also noticed a pulsating red line that was visible between the small openings of his light grey, bony tail.

"Who are you?" She stretched out her hand and carefully clasped its right hand.

Jacqueline's father, who had been staring at the beast up until now, came to his senses again. "What do you think  _you're doing!_  Let go, don't touch—" His sentence was interrupted as the creature moaned weakly.

"Dad, he's waking up!"

"Alright, enough of this! You're coming with me right  _now!"_ He grabbed his daughter's hand.

"Dad, look! He's opening his eyes!"

The man began to tremble. The creature had indeed opened his eyes, and was now looking directly at his daughter, who was still holding its hand.

"Hi," Jacqueline spoke softly. "Don't be afraid, we're trying to help." She noticed that the creature's eyes were light green, giving off a weak glow. Strangely enough, and something she couldn't explain herself, she didn't feel any fear at all.

On the roof of the office building Plasmius became visibly frustrated. "What an utter disaster. It's a good thing I'm now the mayor of this city so I can handle the Public Relations nightmare myself, but this is getting way too much attention. I wanted to handle this discreetly." He sighed irritably. "Maybe using those missiles wasn't such a good idea—" Plasmius let out a gasp. "Skulker, what's the meaning of this!?" He pointed at the two projectiles which had now left their holding pattern and had begun flying towards the intersection.

"I have no idea," Skulker answered in surprise. He pushed several buttons on the remote. "They're not responding to my commands!"

"Then override the controls! Initiate self-destruct!"

"I'm trying, but it will take a moment. It'll be too late."

"Can you hear me? Can you understand me?" The creature still hadn't moved since the accident. He was looking at her hand, which was still holding his right hand. Suddenly his eyes shot wide open as he turned his head to look the other way, lifting himself up a bit from the ground.

A young man from the crowd began to yell. "Something is coming this way! Run everyone, RUN!" Panic ensued.

Jacqueline and her father looked up and saw two green objects in the distance -leaving a green trail of smoke- coming their way. Before they could react, the creature stood up, grabbed the girl and her father and jumped away. Losing their target, the missiles swerved around the few people who hadn't been able to flee, then zoomed away. Juukka then put them both safely on the ground, dropped down on all fours and turned right from the crossing, getting out of sight and into the industrial area of Amity Park.

"Jackie," her father said while still lying on the ground, "please tell me you're alright?"

"I'm okay, Dad," she answered while rolling onto her back, trying to make sense of what happened.

Her father managed to get up first and then carefully tried to help his daughter stand by taking her hand.

"You know, Dad," she softly spoke to him while putting her hand on his shoulder, "I think that creature, whoever it was, just saved our life."

* * *

"Alright, I've got manual control. Self-destruct sequence initiated."

"Good."

"Sending the missiles into the air, ordering self-destruct, three... two... one... now!"

In a bright green flash of light, the two missiles self-destructed harmlessly in the sky. However, the glow of the explosion illuminated a large area of Amity Park.

"Isn't this great?" Vlad grumbled sarcastically. "More witnesses. Now everyone will know something happened here. This place will soon be swarming with those annoying reporters." He glared at Skulker. "When this is over, I want to know what went wrong."

"I understand," the hunter said before he looked back at his employer with a frown.

Plasmius raised an eyebrow. "Is something on your mind?"

"Well, it's none of my business," Skulker began. "But you are the mayor of this city now. I'm sure you'll be called soon about what just happened, and I don't think it will help your ratings if the mayor was nowhere to be found during an emergency."

Vlad sighed. "I'm aware of that, Skulker, and you do make a good point. But I've already taken care of that. Before I left I made a duplicate of myself in human form, he'll take care of any calls and emergency meetings when necessary. Unfortunately, this has been putting a strain on me."

"I can see that. Are you sure it's wise to continue? We already found out that this Juukka is pretty strong and with your powers weakening I don't know..."

"There's no need to concern yourself, Skulker. I can assure you I'm still strong enough to tear this ghost apart piece by piece if need be."

Skulker, not looking entirely convinced, decided to drop the subject. He looked at the tracking device on his left wrist. "Juukka has fled into the industrial district, we can catch up with him quickly if we leave now."

"Excellent, let's—"

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Oh, what now?" the half-ghost said irritably, looking at the noisy device on Skulker's arm.

"The tracker has detected another ghost approaching fast, a half-ghost to be exact."

"Daniel," Plasmius muttered almost inaudibly. "Of course, just when you think things couldn't get any worse."

"You aren't actually worried about him, are you?" Skulker asked with some surprise.

"I'm not," Plasmius replied wearily, "it's just that I have enough on my hands already, but I guess this was to be expected. Is the Ecto-Jammer working? He can't sense us right now, can he?"

"He should not be able to detect us. But in any case, shouldn't we deal with the whelp first?" His expression lit up with a small grin of anticipation.

"No, Juukka is our first priority. If Daniel decides to interfere, and we know he will..." Plasmius clenched his fists, "...we'll just have to deal with him then."

"Understood."

"I don't have to remind you how much depends on this mission, Skulker."

He nodded.

"We must succeed in capturing this ghost. If what we learned about him is true, then..." An evil grin appeared on his features. "I must have him."

With those words both ghost hunter and half-ghost turned invisible, jumped from the building and flew at full speed towards the industrial area, locking in on their prey.


	2. Containment

 

 

Danny flew through the streets of Amity Park, increasing his speed after the explosion had lit the sky. His ghost sense had gone off a few minutes earlier. The teen let out a long yawn.  _Of course right when I wanted to go to bed._  It was Friday evening and he felt really tired. He had a busy school week behind him; filled with difficult tests and an exhausting book report he had to turn in for Mr. Lancer. Ghost activity had been higher than usual as well.

The teen yawned again. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about my parents showing up," he murmured. They were attending a ghost convention in New York City. Tucker and Sam were just as exhausted as he was and had gone to bed early. He had decided not to wake up his two best friends. Just before he left he had told Jazz he had sensed a ghost and that he was going out for awhile. Danny smiled. It was nice to have one person in the family he could share his secret identity with, and he was grateful to his sister for always being there for him.

As he neared the area the explosion originated from he turned invisible, believing it would be better to investigate first before revealing himself.

* * *

"Yes, I understand the urgency of the situation, Commissioner," Vlad said into the phone. He sat behind his desk in the Mayor's office of City Hall, glancing at the paintings hanging in his room while listening to what he already knew the man wanted to say.

"I've already sent every agent available, Mayor Masters. From the many calls we're receiving, something bad seems to be going on over there. Reports are coming in about some kind of ghost creature which has been hit by a car at the intersection of 14th and Walston. Not only that, but there are also reports coming in that missiles were fired at a large crowd of people. If they would have hit the consequences could have been disastrous."

Vlad held a piece of paper in the air, silently reading a summary of the transcript from a phone call coming from a witness. "I've just received some of these reports. From what I understand the sighted creature has fled within the industrial district?"

"Yes sir, our anti-ghost police unit is on standby. You only have to give your word and we're going in."

"Given the circumstances, I order you to keep them on standby for now."

There was a moment of silence. "With all due respect, Mayor Masters, I must question your order. Isn't the main reason this unit was created to handle these types of situations? I mean, you personally…"

Putting the paper down, Vlad put his left arm on the desk and began to slightly lean on it. "I'm fully aware of that. However, judging by the reports I have before me, we aren't dealing with a normal ghost encounter. While I am not doubting the competence of your men, I am not willing to send them in there without knowing more about the situation itself.

The Commissioner remained silent, although Vlad could hear him swallow.

"These are my orders," he said while leaning back in his leather chair. I want you to fully surround the industrial area, post groups of officers at strategic locations around the district, each group accompanied by at least one of your anti-ghost agents. There are only three access points to the industrial zone; I want you to close them all. The safety of the citizens of Amity Park is our first and most important priority."

"I understand, sir, but what about the people who are still inside the industrial area? There are still many people working late shifts."

"Send messages through the Emergency Broadcast System to warn them and all the people in Amity Park. Tell them that for their own safety, everyone has to stay inside their homes. Send police cars with loudspeakers throughout the city to transmit this message as well. Also, notify all the companies located within the industrial district; ask them to relay the same message to all their employees.

Have the surveillance helicopters and surveillance boats patrol the edges of the district, but  _do not,_ I repeat, _do not_  let them enter the area itself. We do not want to agitate or anger whatever is out there. The same goes for the news helicopters, keep them out! No person, no vehicle, _no one_  is allowed to leave or enter that area without my permission. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. In the mean time, I'll set up a crisis center within my office to coordinate our actions. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir. We'll start the containment procedure immediately."

"Excellent, my good man. I'll speak to you later."

Vlad hung up the phone and then leaned on his desk, folding his hands in front of him.  _So far everything is going well. By setting up a blockade I have given myself valuable time to capture that ghost._

He frowned _. The only one left who could still pose a problem... is Daniel._

* * *

"Plasmius, I found him!"

"Excellent."

Both Plasmius and Skulker were still invisible and had been searching the industrial zone for minutes now. Their quarry had hidden himself well; as soon as they had entered the area he had lowered his ecto-energy level. The tracking device started to give imprecise readings, but Skulker was an experienced hunter and he had dealt with situations like these before.

"So, where exactly is he?"

Skulker pointed towards a line of trucks parked just next to a commercial factory. "He has hidden himself in the back of the third truck closest to you."

"Ah, I see." Plasmius gazed at Juukka's location. He wasn't expecting this to be an easy fight, but he knew that he had the means of coming out victorious, especially with Skulker at his side. "Skulker," he turned towards his ally, "Get ready. It's imperative that we don't give him any chance to recuperate."

The hunter nodded.

Plasmius became visible, made himself intangible, and flew straight into the back of the truck. Once inside, he formed a bright, pink energy sphere in his left hand.

"You're mine!"

The creature let out a panicked scream. Plasmius allowed the glowing sphere to drift upwards until it touched the ceiling of the container, illuminating every corner and causing their shadows to flicker all around them. Plasmius dashed forward and grabbed the ghost by its neck. He spun around and threw the creature against the other end of the container. Juukka cried out in pain as his back hit the metal wall full force. Plasmius powered up his right hand until it was burning violently with ghostly energy. He leaped forward but the ghost avoided the halfa's attack by going intangible and jumping out of the truck.

Skulker, having left his invisible form, anticipated where his target would land and fired an ecto-grenade. Juukka had barely landed in the middle of the truck parking area, when he saw a grenade rolling towards him. He managed to jump in the air again but was caught in the ensuing explosion and the force of the blast sent him flying.

Skulker showed a devilish grin. He activated the rockets mounted on his back, flew towards his prey and positioned himself above him. He then dived down and pounded his shoulder into the creature's upper back, which earned him an agonized cry from his victim. He watched Juukka slam head first into the roof of a small office building.

"Well done," Plasmius complimented as he swooped down, his right fist ready to strike. However, Juukka turned around and managed to catch his fist with his left hand.

"What!?"

Juukka grabbed Plasmius' right arm, and threw the stunned half-ghost over his shoulder, slamming him on the roof.

Skulker activated his beam cannon and fired as Plasmius went intangible and phased through the roof. The animal ghost jumped, avoiding the impact of the blast, and fired two green energy blasts in return. The hunter went intangible and let the projectiles pass.

Plasmius had flown out of the office building and was now looking at Juukka with a mixture of surprise and rising frustration. The creature jumped away from Plasmius again, landed on the edge of the roof on the other end and then jumped down to the ground. Both Vlad and Skulker did the same, landing on either side of the creature.

_This could prove more difficult than I anticipated._

Skulker on the other hand was grinning.

Plasmius charged an energy blast. "Let's see how you handle this!"

Juukka spun around and lunged at the half-ghost.

Shocked at the sudden display of aggression, Plasmius absorbed the energy back into his hand. He jumped backwards and formed an energy blade within his hands. In a flash, he dashed forward and swung his weapon.

He gasped... He had only struck air...

"Plasmius, behind you!"

* * *

Danny had finally reached the intersection. Floating in the air, he looked with surprise at the situation below while rubbing the back of his head. Deciding it would be best to remain invisible, he flew to the ground and landed in the crowd. As he walked around, he overheard pieces of conversations taking place.

"What was that thing? I've never seen something like that in my life."

"I don't know. Maybe it was a ghost, but I think it looked more like some kind of animal."

"Why do we always have to deal with these ghost attacks?  _Why_  are they still happening?"

_So it was a ghost after all._

Another person chimed in. "People call him a hero, but I think Danny Phantom is behind this."

Someone nodded in agreement. "I believe Mayor Masters is right, his presence attracts all kinds of ghosts here. If Phantom really was a hero he would leave our city alone."

His shoulders slumped, and the ghost teen looked sadly at the people in front of him. _I should have gotten used to it by now, but it still hurts._ He pushed it aside when he heard something that piqued his interest.

"Yes, that girl sitting over there was attacked by that ghost creature. I heard that if it wasn't for her father that thing would have killed her."

* * *

Skulker hadn't moved an inch since he saw Juukka slam Plasmius into the ground.

The halfa rose to his feet with a painful expression.

"How  _dare_  you?"

During all this, Juukka didn't move. Plasmius noticed he was staring at him, but there was no anger or hatred within its eyes. He would almost classify his expression as simple curiosity.

Plasmius knew it would be best to regroup with Skulker. But he felt so humiliated that he couldn't bring himself to walk away.

"You will regret this." His voice was menacingly deep. "I'll make you pay for this."

Juukka still didn't make a move, although he did tilt his head slightly to the left.

* * *

"Are you alright, child? Did that monster hurt you?" An elderly man asked with concern.

Danny had managed to get close enough to the girl to hear what was being said.

"Why do you people keep saying all these things? I already told you, he didn't hurt me. In fact, he saved my life and my dad's."

"Is this true?" The man turned towards Jacqueline's father, who had just given his daughter a bottle of water that he had kept in the car. "Did that creature really save your life?"

"No, I mean... I don't know."

"Dad!"

"I'm sorry Jacqueline, but right now I don't know what to think. It... it could have saved our lives, everything just happened so fast."

Danny was surprised to hear this. He wanted to listen further but the sirens of the approaching police cars made it impossible to hear anything at this point. The teen flew into the air and landed on top of an office-building nearby.  _I couldn't hear where that ghost went to. He could have gone in any direction by now._

Jacqueline took another sip of water from the bottle.  _Everyone is twisting my story around. No one believes that he really has saved our lives, not even my dad. If they find him he might even be killed._ Tears welled up.  _S_ he lowered her head and stared at the ground. Images flashed rapidly before her eyes. The golden symbol on his chest, his bony tail; the spikes on his helmet, his soft glowing green eyes; the moment he saved both her and her dad.

"Thank you." she whispered.

* * *

Without warning Plasmius struck. Slamming his right fist into Juukka's stomach. The ghost clutched his abdomen while stumbling backwards.

However, he quickly recovered and charged a green ecto-blast.

"What? No!"

The ghost blasted Plasmius towards Skulker. The hunter was not able to move out of the way in time and Plasmius' body smashed into him full force, causing them both to hit a large freight container behind them. The metallic sound produced by this collision echoed in all directions.

"I can't believe he did that to us," Plasmius groaned as he tried to stand up.

Skulker was already on his feet. Thanks to his mechanical body he hadn't felt anything of the impact, and he was ready to fight. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for his employer.

"Maybe it would be wise if we leave, Plasmius. You don't really—"

"I'm fine, Skulker! I will not leave without that ghost under my command. I only need a few moments to recover."

 _It looks to me you need more then that,_ Skulker thought unwillingly, deciding it would be better not to say this out loud. "I'll keep that creature busy, I recommend you put those moments to good use."

Plasmius didn't reply, instead he lifted his hand and gestured that he agreed; it was clear the pain was getting to him.

The hunter materialized an energy sword on his right arm and propelled himself towards his opponent. In response, Juukka mimicked his actions and formed a blade of his own. Skulker brought his sword down with all the strength he had, but instead was blocked by Juukka's own weapon.

_I was afraid of this. He's stronger than we anticipated._

Juukka and Skulker struggled without either of them gaining a clear advantage, but then Juukka finally managed to push the mechanical ghost back.

Suddenly Plasmius teleported next to them and blasted the creature through the windows of a managerial office, knocking over a computer monitor on a desk before colliding against the wall. The ghost hit a switch, turning off the lights. Plasmius could see Juukka flee from the darkened room, and he could hear the muffled screams of the people inside.

"Good to see you're on your feet again."

Plasmius grinned.

Their attention was drawn again to the building as they heard a strange, yet familiar sound coming out of it. Suddenly Juukka jumped out of the broken window, but instead of attacking he dropped down on his right knee after landing. The creature grabbed his left shoulder and whined softly.

"Hmm, it seems that your last attack actually wounded him."

"Why are you surprised?" Plasmius chuckled. "My attacks are powerful; of course it wounded him."

"I don't know, but your attack hit him in the chest area, not his shoul-"

"Enough of this, let's end this!" Plasmius leaped forward. The half-ghost delivered Juukka a merciless uppercut, sending him flying into the air.

"Skulker, now!"

The hunter activated his jet pack and positioned himself above his prey. Just before Juukka's motionless body reached its highest point, Skulker dived down and plowed his elbow in the middle of the creature's back. The sound of the impact was sickening and made Plasmius cringe, but the scream that followed was even worse. A terrible sound, filled with agony, spread like thunder in all directions. Plasmius covered his ears, the intensity of Juukka's cry threatening to overwhelm him. Skulker didn't seem bothered by it.

* * *

"What was that?" Danny said to himself, still standing on the roof of the office-building. "Oh man, that sounded terrible." Still invisible, he headed into the direction the sound came from.

* * *

"My dear Skulker, how should I say this?" Plasmius said while rubbing his temple. It was quite clear he was trying to remain calm. "When I said 'Let's end this' I didn't mean it this literally, you dolt!"

"Eh, I..." Skulker didn't really know what to say.

Juukka lay face down on the ground buried into the concrete. There were cracks everywhere around him, a clear sign of the force Skulker had put into his attack.

"If he doesn't survive I'm going to hold you responsible for this. He's worth nothing to me dead!"

Skulker knelt beside Juukka's motionless body. He carefully touched its back. Then he took a small device out of his belt and held it above the creature. The appliance made faint beeping noises and two green lights on top of it started flashing.

"What are you doing?" Vlad asked, still angry.

"This little device is an energy scanner." The hunter replied while looking at the readings. "Although weak, I can clearly detect active ghost energy within him. He'll be fine, but it will take some time for him to recover."

Plasmius said nothing, but kept glaring at the hunter.

Skulker frowned. "You said that we needed to drain him of his energy. That's exactly what I did. His energy levels are low but definitely stable."

"Yes, I wanted to drain him of his energy, but not like this." The half-ghost sighed, rubbing his temple again. "In order for the transfer to work, Juukka has to be conscious and weakened at the same time. In this—"

" ** _Warning, energy build-up detected!_**

"Energy build-up? Skulker, what does that blasted computer of yours mean?"

"That's strange, according to these readings there should be a source of energy nearby. It's increasing rapidly in power."

"How's that possible? There's no— Skulker, look!" Within moments, Juukka's body faded away. What remained instead was a floating body of swirling ectoplasm.

The hunter jumped to his feet. "It's a duplicate! But if this one isn't real, then..."

" ** _Warning, energy build-up reaching critical levels!"_**

"Skulker?" His tone of voice was slightly nervous.

"I'm pinpointing his location, but he's masking—"

An ominous growl came from behind.

Plasmius and Skulker spun around. And there was the animal ghost, holding a violently burning orb of green energy between his hands.

"Did he just use his duplicate as  _bait?_ Skulker couldn't hide a hint of respect for his prey. "But why weren't we able to detect his original body?"

"We—, we fell right into his trap," Plasmius stammered. He could only watch in disbelief as the remaining body of ectoplasm from the duplicate merged with its original body.

Another terrifying scream accompanied the massive blast that followed; not a scream of pain, but of victory.


	3. Intervention

Author's Note: There are scenes of violence. Blood (green ectoplasm) and wounds are mentioned.

* * *

 

Plasmius realized there was not enough time to avoid the blast. A violet glow formed around his body as he focused his energy.

"Skulker, get behind me, now!"

The green energy wave collided with Plasmius' barely formed barrier. Despite all the power he had poured into it his shield immediately started to buckle.

"His power... It's too much."

Skulker watched how Plasmius was pushed back. The hunter realized that although he could escape, Plasmius would not be able to now he was locked in a deadly struggle. Feeling no desire to abandon his ally, and knowing that he could be well rewarded for his efforts, he activated the rockets on his back to confront Juukka himself.

There was another ominous growl coming from behind.

The hunter swung around, de-activating his backpack. Two Juukka duplicates were standing before him, their menacingly glowing eyes narrowed in an angry glare. Their fists clenched, their bodies leaning forward and their tails positioned in the air.

 _He made more duplicates. That beast wanted to attack us from behind all along_.

"Plasmius! Hang on, I'll deal with this!"

Skulker took in a quick glance of his surroundings. They were in a large, mostly empty parking area belonging to a nearby factory. Without having to worry about collateral damage the hunter knew he could go all out here.

Skulker activated his rockets. "I  _am_  the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter! And your pelt will adorn my wall tonight!" And with these words he propelled himself towards his opponents. One Juukka lowered himself on all fours while the other lunged himself at their enemy, extending two blades from the sheath on its right hand. Skulker grabbed the creature by the face before it could land a strike. At this, the ghost copy let out a surprised yelp.

"Got you." Skulker grinned as he threw him to the ground. The duplicate groaned as he was slammed into the concrete.

Seeing this happen, the other Juukka doppelganger launched himself at the metallic ghost as well. Before Skulker could react, the creature landed on his chest, grabbing both sides of his head while using the sharp claws on his feet to get a grip on his armor.

"Get off of me!" Skulker stumbled backwards as he attempted to get rid of his attacker by grabbing it around the waist and pushing it away. The creature held on, balancing himself and thrusting its claws deeper into Skulker's metal head and chest. It then wrapped its tail around the hunter's neck and tightened its grip.

Skulker heard wires snap and circuitry break.  _He's trying to pull off my head!_   _Does he know about my weakness?_

Despite his efforts he couldn't dislodge the creature. From the corner of his eye he saw the other doppelganger already standing; realizing he wouldn't stand a chance against the two of them he knew there was only one option left.

With his left hand he grabbed the ghost duplicate by the throat while activating the energy blade on his right arm. With a powerful roar he thrust his weapon straight through its chest. The creature let out a chilling cry as Skulker's blade emerged from its back. The other doppelganger looked on in horror as he saw what the hunter had done to his comrade. Glowing ectoplasm poured out of the wound and dripped on Skulker's metallic suit.

Plasmius felt Juukka's assault weakening, as if something was distracting it. Although not enough to go on the offensive, he used the opportunity to strengthen his shield.

_Whatever you're doing back there Skulker, keep it up._

The impaled ghost duplicate was trembling all over, desperately trying to remain still as the slightest bit of movement caused him even more excruciating pain. His eyes were wide open as he stared at Skulker in shock. He had withdrawn his hands and now kept them at a little distance from his sides, held slightly in the air, shaking. His tail retreated from Skulker's neck and hung motionless underneath his body.

Skulker showed no emotion towards the injured creature. He was a hunter after all, so the scene held no surprise for him, but it held no triumph for him either. Not at this time. If he could have, he would have avoided injuring his prey this critically, but it had to be done. He tightened his grip on the duplicate's neck. Ignoring the ectoplasm dripping onto his forehead, Skulker threw the ghost to the ground.

The duplicate landed with a sickening thud on the concrete, the force of the throw made him tumble three times before halting on his back, leaving behind a trail of its green life-force. The creature moaned softly, and his arms and legs were in spasms. He opened his eyes and looked at Skulker again; fear, shock and disbelief clearly visible within them.

Not wanting to let his prey suffer any longer, Skulker retracted his blade and activated his laser. But before he could fire, the other doppelganger landed next to his wounded comrade. He carefully lifted his trembling left hand and gently clasped it with his own, squeezing it, as if wanting to reassure his injured brother.

For a moment the two Juukka's gazed at each other before the wounded copy faded away. What remained in its place was a small and floating body of ectoplasm. The surviving duplicate brought it to the emblem on his chest, where it dissipated. A green glow briefly emanated from his body.

Plasmius was now pushing Juukka back. The hybrid couldn't help but smile at sensing a hint of anxiety coming from the animal ghost.

The remaining doppelganger rose to his feet. He let out a terrifying roar and lunged straight at the hunter. Skulker retracted his laser and re-formed his energy blade, swiping it at his incoming opponent. Still in mid-air, the Juukka copy fired an energy blast at the ground, the momentum of his attack briefly blinding Skulker's field of vision and propelling the creature to the right, allowing him to dodge the attack. He landed and immediately leaped towards the ghost hunter with its claws extended.

Fearing a direct attack from that angle, Skulker spun around and made a 360-degree swipe with his sword. His opponent ducked, fired a blast at Skulker - which the hunter deflected with his blade - and then made several backflips to create some distance between them. The tip of its tail split open and fired darts from its center. Skulker activated his laser and destroyed all projectiles.

The Juukka duplicate dashed towards Skulker on all fours while closing the tip of its tail. The hunter fired several blasts which the animal ghost avoided. Skulker activated his rockets and flew towards his opponent, but before he could make contact the doppelganger jumped over him, Skulker spun around, but not fast enough to avoid being hit in the chest from above. The hunter was blasted to the ground, skidding several yards before coming to a halt. His enemy slammed its fist into the ground and released a shockwave which travelled rapidly towards Skulker, tearing up the concrete in its path.

The hunter launched into the air, but the ghost lunged for him and delivered a spinning kick to his chest. The force of the attack threw him to the ground and slammed him into a car, the impact shattering windows and creating a huge dent in the passenger door. Struggling to stand up again, Skulker realized his vulnerable position.

" **Warning, damage detected in sub-systems B and D. Cessation of current activities advised."**

Only he could hear the message, as it was directly transmitted to the cockpit. Although still able to fight, his onboard computer was diverting power to deal with the damage. While on his knees he stared at the ghost duplicate. He was standing on his hind legs again and was glaring angrily, but didn't appear to be in a hurry to make a move. Skulker would have preferred the curious look he and Plasmius had seen earlier.

Even in its incomplete stage, this Juukka was still more powerful than he and Plasmius had anticipated. For a moment he wished the ghost child was here. The whelp's ice powers would have made for a useful tool against him.

The barrier Plasmius had created was on the verge of collapsing. The original Juukka had regained his composure after the loss of his duplicate, and had increased the intensity of his attack once more.

" _Blast! I never thought duplicating myself, in order to keep my mayoral position safe, would cost me so greatly! At full strength, I would have no trouble getting the upper hand, but now… Skulker, where the blazes are you!?"_

* * *

"Mr. Mayor, are you alright? You are looking pale, sir."

Vlad Masters had just skimmed through the latest reports when his secretary walked in.

"I appreciate your concern, Elaine. But there's no need to worry. I'm fine."

"Are you sure, sir? Perhaps I could get you something?'

"Well, a cold glass of water would be nice. I feel quite parched."

"I'll get it right away, sir."

"Thank you, my dear lady," Vlad Masters said as he watched her leave the room. As soon as she closed the door behind her he sighed.

_Could I have made an error in judgement?_

That creature could have seen him as an ally, but instead he and Skulker had attacked it in order to force its obedience. Vlad now wondered what could have been if he had approached the situation differently. But that also would have required trust, and that was something he had very little faith in these days.

Vlad was awakened from his thoughts when his secretary came back into the room. "Here you are, sir. A glass of refreshing mineral water." She put down the glass on his desk.

"Ah, just what I needed. Thank you." He picked up the glass and took a sip.

"Sir, I also wanted to inform you that the Commissioner has arrived together with your advisors. They are ready for the emergency meeting."

"Excellent, please show them in."

"I will, sir."

While his secretary walked out of the room Vlad checked his hair and face with a small mirror. He really didn't want to deal with those emergency meetings, but he had no choice but to see this through. After quickly putting the mirror in his drawer he cleared his throat and stood up. He put on a friendly smile as the Commissioner and his advisors walked in; the only thing he could hope for now was a miracle.

* * *

"So you're saying this ghost has actually saved your lives?"

"Yes, that's what I said, for the third time already; why don't you believe me?" Jacqueline, who stood next to her father, was losing patience although she did her best to stay polite. The police had begun to establish a containment zone around the industrial area and had guided the people away from the intersection towards the entrance of a residential area. Once there, police officers started questioning bystanders to gather more information on what had taken place. Everyone was feeling nervous because of the unsettling sounds coming from the industrial district, as well as the eerie green glow that was now visible in the distance.

Jacqueline could only hope he was safe.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but we are getting eyewitness reports telling a different story."

The girl let out an exasperated sigh. "Those people were standing at a distance, my dad and I were the only ones who got near him, how could they have gotten a good view? When the missiles were coming everyone was running away. And this ghost saved our lives. He carried me and my father to safety—if it wasn't for him those missiles would have hit us."

The officer turned towards Jacqueline's dad. "Sir, could you confirm your daughter's statement?"

He hesitated before answering, as he still couldn't believe that a ghost or whatever it was had actually saved them. Not after all those terrible ghost attacks in the past, with Vortex, Undergrowth and Nocturn as the most recent and terrifying examples. Yet he couldn't get rid of that feeling...

"Yes, I can confirm this to be true, this ghost has indeed saved our lives."

* * *

Skulker finally managed to stand up again, looking at the Juukka duplicate who was still glaring at him.

He grimaced. What was he doing?  _He_  was the greatest hunter of the Ghost Zone. The only prey that had ever eluded him was that whelp. Was he going to allow this new ghost to become another blemish on his perfect record? He glared back at his prey.

Yes, that was all what it was.  _Prey._  Nothing more, nothing less.

_This ends now..._

Activating his rockets, he launched himself towards his target at the highest speed his mechanical body could muster.

The Juukka duplicate jumped sideways and avoided Skulker's grasp, but as he did the hunter fired a rope with a small hook that attached itself to the doppelganger's tail. In response the animal ghost fired an ecto-blast which Skulker evaded with ease. Skulker activated his boosters and propelled himself towards the duplicate, who yelped in surprise and barely avoided him by rolling to his right.

An evil grin appeared on the hunter's features. He grabbed the end of the rope, the hook part still attached to his prey. The ghost's eyes widened at catching what his adversary was doing. Starting to panic, the creature tried to cut the rope with his claws.

Laughing, Skulker shot into the air while reeling in the line at the same time, pulling the doppelganger along with him.

After reaching the desired height Skulker slowed down. He allowed Juukka to drop several yards before he yanked on the rope again, spun around and threw his opponent even higher into the air. It seemed this creature didn't possess the capability of flight yet, which was a weakness he could handily exploit. At the moment the duplicate reached its highest point Skulker reeled in part of the rope, spun around and flung him towards the ground with all his might. The animal ghost let out one final scream before he slammed into the concrete with a heavy, sickening thud.

Skulker landed and looked with satisfaction at the result. Juukka was lying face down, buried into the concrete, and cracks had spread in all directions. Its body faded away and just as before, all that was left behind was a small form of floating ectoplasm.

"Skulker, do something!"

Plasmius was now down on one knee; his barrier on the verge of breaking.

Skulker rushed past Plasmius towards the original Juukka. Before the animal ghost could react Skulker threw a light grenade. The creature cried out in pain as the blast blinded him. The energy wave that had been pushing against the barrier shot into the air and exploded in a bright flash of green light. Thunderous shockwaves spread across Amity Park, bathing everything in an eerie glow.

Plasmius fell down on his hands and knees, panting heavily. He felt drained and exhausted, his body was aching all over.  _The blast, I didn't stop it. It changed course..._

With a loud bang Skulker shot a missile towards the blinded Juukka. Just before impact the projectile deployed a glowing green net that quickly expanded, capturing the ghost inside of it.

Plasmius gazed at the scene in front of him. The creature was struggling inside the net. He cried out as he desperately tried to break free. Skulker walked towards his employer sporting a big grin; he wanted to help Plasmius to his feet but the hybrid had already got up by himself.

Plasmius clasped Skulker's shoulder. His voice was surprisingly sincere, a hint of respect underlining his next words. "Well done, Skulker. You'll be rewarded well for this." He turned towards their captured objective. His eyes narrowed.

"I don't want to waste any more time. You know what to do."

The hunter nodded. "Understood." He grabbed the net and tossed it casually over his shoulder.

"Now, what would be a good place to do this?" Skulker murmured while looking around. "Ah, that tree over there looks promising." He headed towards a large chestnut tree, one with a low-hanging and thick branch, which made it an excellent choice for what they were about to do.

When Plasmius reached the tree, Skulker had already tied a rope around the net, and had thrown the other end over the branch. Then he started to pull on it, slowly lifting the weakly struggling ghost in the air. When the net had reached Plasmius' eye level, Skulker tied the rope around the tree, inspected the knot and then walked towards his captured prey with a satisfied grin.

Seeing Skulker standing close beside him, Juukka released a sad whimper. An evil smirk appeared on Skulker's features, as he patted his unique quarry on its helmet before suddenly activating an energy blade. He grabbed Juukka's head and pushed it back, letting his weapon rest on the exposed soft skin of its neck. The animal ghost yelped repeatedly, as if begging for its life.

Skulker chuckled, "You have been a worthy prey. Not as good as a certain  _ghost child_  I know, but still close. I should kill you right now. Your head would prove to be a valuable addition to my trophy gallery. Luckily for you, my employer has other plans. But still..." His grin widened as he pushed the blade more forcefully against the creature's skin.

Fearing the hunter would not be able to control himself, Plasmius stepped in and placed his hand firmly on Skulker's arm. That's enough." His tone of voice was dark and held no room for compromise.

Skulker looked at Plasmius and his grin vanished. He nodded and let go.

Now..." Plasmius gestured at the net. "Let's begin the transfer."

The hybrid raised his hand and reached for the emblem on Juukka's chest. As his hand got closer the emblem began to emit an eerie yellowish glow and the air around Juukka's body began to distort. Plasmius' hand emanated a violet glow and crimson sparks arced from his hand onto Juukka's emblem. A dark smile grew on Plasmius's features. His eyes were burning with a blood red radiance. His voice was menacingly low. "You're mine."

The animal ghost screamed in agony as both he and Plasmius were enveloped in a vortex of energy. Plasmius grabbed the emblem and shot a jolt of crimson energy into Juukka's chest. There was another heartbreaking cry, a terrifying sound that spread in all directions.

A green blast flew past Plasmius and cut through the rope, dropping Juukka to the ground. In an instant the vortex surrounding them disappeared, and the backlash threw Plasmius onto the street. The ghost escaped from the net, sprinted away and disappeared into a dark alley between two office buildings. Skulker fired a small device in the direction Juukka was running, then looked at his onboard computer.

The hunter smiled. "Got him, signature amplifier activated."

Plasmius growled and spun around. "Who dares?"

A boy landed in front of him.

"Daniel."


	4. A change in plans

Author's Note: Contains scenes of violence.

My deepest thanks to my beta-readers Bluemoonalto and Pearl84. I would have never been able to do this without your help. Thank you so much for everything!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. All the characters of this great series are property of Butch Hartman.

* * *

 

"Vlad," Danny replied, crossing his arms, a slight frown appearing on his expression. "It never gets boring around here since you became the mayor. What are you and your pal up to this time?"

Plasmius glared at him and pushed back his cape. "You shouldn't have come here, my boy. You just made a terrible mistake."

"Is that so?" Danny gave a small smile as he tilted his head slightly to the right. "You haven't forgotten this is my town, right? You can't just expect to get away with whatever it is you're planning without me finding out about it."

The older half-ghost clenched his fists and his clothing began to wave, as if a strong wind were blowing. Pink bolts of energy travelled across his body and arced between his fists and the ground. Danny frowned a little at the sight, and assumed it was caused by a surge of energy fueled by the man's growing anger.

"Geez, Vlad, you look like you're about to explode. Hey, Skulker, you should move back; you might accidentally cause him to detonate!" The ghost boy laughed a little at his own joke. "I really should make this a new hobby. How many times have I foiled your plans lately? Three times? Four?"

Unfazed by Plasmius's intensifying emotions, Danny slightly tilted his head andbegan to go through a few memories, counting them off on his fingers. "There was that weather machine you build after your stunt with Vortex went wrong. Too bad it didn't turn out to be waterproof. Glad I could help you test it though," Danny chuckled playfully.

"There was that meeting with the Ghost Zone mafia I wasn't invited to." Danny feigned being hurt and placed a hand on his chest. "I thought we were friends, Vlad." The cocky grin he gave the older hybrid next almost seemed to set the man's blood red eyes on fire. "I don't think they'll be very happy with you after I crashed your party." 

Skulker was listening to all of this with surprise. He had to admit, the whelp had guts. At this point his employer was nearly boiling. 

Danny ticked the growing list off on his fingers. "There was the Infi-map you tried to steal from Frostbite. Again." He adopted a deadpan look before breaking into a smile. "I know you have anger issues. But destroying your own satellite just to get me? I said it back then and I'll say it again. He gave Plasmius a smug look. "Therapy, dude. Therapy."

Plasmius took a step forward, both his hands overflowing with pink and pulsating ecto-energy, sparks fell to the ground, but he did not seem to notice.

"Oh yeah, and then of course if we count today—"

"Enough of this, you arrogant brat!"

"Ooh, struck a nerve there, didn't I?" Danny chuckled. "Was that ghost really that important to you?" The boy's face then turned serious as he crossed his arms again. "Tell me, Vlad. What exactly  _are_  you planning this time?"

"You should have stayed out of this. Do you know what you've just done!?"

"I was here long enough to know that what I did was right. Besides, someone who's on the run from you guys can't be all that bad."

Plasmius didn't respond, but continued to glare at him.

Seeing that he didn't get a retort from his archenemy, Danny went on, "You really flexed your Mayoral muscles this time, haven't you? Practically the whole Amity Park police force has this place surrounded; I've seen how people are being kept away from here. Knowing you it isn't to keep them safe, but just to keep them out! Not only that, but do you even care about the people being caught in the middle of this, with no way to escape? I might not know why you are after this ghost, but it doesn't matter—'cause I'm going to stop you anyway."

Danny clenched his fists and flashed his eyes as a warning. "I suggest you go home now, Vlad. I'm not going to let you get your selfish hands on that ghost."

The bolts of lightning across Plasmius' body intensified. "Under other circumstances I would have found your arrogance,  _and_  your sudden ability to _think,_  amusing. However, this time you've gone too far."

He raised a hand. Sparks of energy arced between the man's fingertips and travelled up his arm. "You don't want to get in my way, Daniel. This is the only warning you'll get. I will no longer tolerate your childish acts."

Danny was slightly surprised at Plasmius' menacing tone and felt unease rising within. He hadn't seen Vlad this malicious since that whole cloning business with his cousin Danielle. The teen rubbed the back of his neck for a moment, watching with apprehension as Plasmius lowered his arms to his sides.

"Eh, I saw how much that ghost weakened you—you really think that fighting me is such a smart idea right now?" He smirked, his confidence returning. "Not that I wouldn't mind beating you to a pulp, I just wanted to give you a fair warning, that's all." He shrugged casually. "Besides, I'm still young, in the prime of my life and I have friends. You, on the other hand, are bitter, lonely and old. Have you already gotten a cat like I told you back then?"

"ENOUGH!"

"Whoa!" Danny jumped to the left and flew up into the air as Plasmius' fist smashed into the concrete underneath him, its force creating cracks in all directions. While hovering in the air he placed his hands together and charged a glowing blue sphere. "Dude, two words: anger management. And here's a free session: Chill!"

Plasmius was not fast enough to avoid the blast and was hit full force. He watched a thick layer of ice cover his entire body. He let out a cry of agony as the chilling cold took over, paralyzing every muscle and sending jolts of pain into the core of his being.

"There, I hope that cools you off." Danny said smugly, letting out a playful chuckle.

Skulker's initial surprise turned into anger when he witnessed the boy humiliating his employer. Activating his energy blade and rockets, he launched himself towards the young halfa. Before he could strike Danny dived underneath him and blasted him with an ectobeam. He grunted from the impact and knew another hit could cause irreversible damage to his suit. The hunter accelerated and barely managed to avoid a second blast.

Skulker grimaced. The ghost child was getting faster with each day. 

"I wouldn't let this go to your head if I were you, whelp," Skulker said seriously while holding his glowing blade at eye level, its eerie radiance illuminating his features. "If Plasmius had been at full strength that attack wouldn't have worked."

"I know," Danny replied casually, shrugging his shoulders. "But hey, I did warn him, didn't I?" A confident smirk grew on his expression. "Instead of talking about frozen fruitloop over there, wouldn't it be better to talk about you? You aren't in such a good shape either." With a smile, the boy cracked his knuckles, slightly cocking his head while doing so.

The hunter frowned. The ghost child wasn't entirely wrong. His suit had sustained damage during the fight: dents, claw marks and burned spots all inflicted by that blasted Juukka creature. But the internal damage caused by his prey's powerful kick to the chest had been the most troublesome.

Skulker looked down at his employer. _I know how much you wanted this ghost, but_ _—_

An intense, violent glow manifested itself around Plasmius. His eyes flared vehemently and he broke his prison of bitter cold, releasing a furious scream as he pushed the ice away and shattered it into pieces.

"Nice," Danny said, "a bit dramatic, but still nice." He crossed his arms again while smiling.

"You," Plasmius hissed, the boy's amused smirk infuriating him even more. "YOU! I'm not here for your entertainment!" He opened the palm of his hand and charged an ecto-blast, only for it to dissipate.

"No!" The half-ghost looked at his hand in disbelief. "I  _can't_  be this weak."

Danny chuckled, "Well, apparently you are."

The older half-ghost glared at him before exhaling sharply and moving towards Skulker, who was floating a few yards to his right. 

"You know, guys," Danny said. I could beat the two of you up right now." He smashed his right fist into his left hand to emphasize his words. "But you are in such a sorry state that it wouldn't be fair." He paused for a second, a mischievous smirk spreading on his features. "It would be fun though…." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "But, I'm the good guy, so I'll give you one more chance: Leave, now!" Danny pointed to the exit of the industrial zone. He charged green ecto-energy in his hands which only grew in intensity, casting his entire body in a ghostly, unearthly glow. 

It was another painful reminder to Plasmius how Daniel was becoming stronger with each passing day.

"You've lost, Plasmius. Just accept it and go away."

* * *

"NO!" Mayor Masters smashed both fists on his desk in utter frustration.

"Sir! Is there something wrong? Are you alright?"

Vlad quickly realized what he had done, as he looked up and saw Commissioner Maxwell, his two advisors and Elaine -his secretary- staring at him in surprise. He slowly retreated his hands as he tried to find an excuse. One thing was certain, he could not afford to stay here any longer. 

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I've been so busy governing this city, looking out for the best interests of our citizens, that I have had little time to rest. But that is no excuse for my behavior and I deeply apologize. It won't happen again."

"I did notice you're looking a bit pale, sir. If you're not feeling well we could—"

"No, Maxwell, I won't turn my back on the citizens of our fair city in their hour of need, if that was what you were about to suggest. But if you could all excuse me for a moment, I want to freshen myself up a bit. I'll be back in a minute." Vlad stood up and strode out of his office quickly, heading towards the men's bathroom.

He heard a voice behind him. It was his secretary.

"Mr. Mayor, should I walk along with you? I'm worried about you sir, you're looking really pale." She sounded genuinely concerned.

Vlad suppressed an annoyed sigh before looking at her, but he knew she meant well. "Thank you, but I'll manage. Please ask our guests if they want something to drink or eat, I have a feeling this will be a long night for all of us." He saw her face fill with doubt, and for a moment, Vlad was almost certain she was going to protest, but in the end her expression changed into one of resignation.

"Yes sir, I'll ask." She turned around and walked back into his office.

"Good, I can't have any witnesses for what I'm about to do next," he muttered under his breath. With these words he turned and set off down the hall.

 _I'm taking a risk here. They'll come looking for me when I don't come back, but that can't be helped._ _I'll have to involve that Juukka creature or my ghost half into this, blaming them for my sudden disappearance. It would make for an excellent headline in the morning newspapers. "Mayor Masters kidnapped by ghost in retaliation for his successful anti-ghost policies."_

Vlad grinned. _My ratings would skyrocket. Even better if I can blame this on Daniel._

As soon as he reached the privacy of the men's room, he changed into Plasmius, made himself intangible and flew through the roof. Once he appeared above City Hall, he became solid and willed his body invisible.

He set course towards the industrial area, flying as fast as he could.  _With the entire district being surrounded, I'll have to teleport the remaining distance once I get close enough to avoid detection._

"I hope you're ready, Daniel. Because you're going to pay dearly for this, little badger."

* * *

Plasmius gestured for Skulker to follow.

"Hey! Get back here!" Danny shouted, seeing his two enemies flying deeper into the industrial zone, instead of leaving in the direction like he had told them to. Danny followed while keeping the green flames burning in his hands.

"What's the status on Juukka?" Plasmius asked, giving a quick glance at the peeved younger half-ghost closing in from behind.

The hunter looked at the display on his left wrist. "He's trying to lower his energy level, but I hit him with a tracking device that amplifies his signature, so he's out of luck. It will be at least another hour before he can activate a portal to the Ghost Zone. His ability to generate portals is annoying, but he can only use it once every few hours."

"Excellent," Plasmius replied. "This gives us enough time. You've done well."

"You're still planning to go through with this?" His question was filled with skepticism.

"Yes, we are," Plasmius said confidently as they landed on the ground. Skulker was surprised at the sudden change of mood from his employer.

 _He's planning something._  "What do you want me to do?"

"For the moment, nothing. But stay alert, I'll need you soon."

The hunter nodded.

Danny grabbed their attention as he landed close by. "Hey, what are you two doing? I said to get lost, and I suggest you start doing that or I'll make you!" He was growing frustrated, it was obvious Plasmius and Skulker were plotting something and he had no idea what. Even with the advantage he still held over them, he knew he had to keep his guard up.

Plasmius slowly and methodically walked towards the younger half-ghost. There was a sinister smile on the man's features, and it send a shiver down Danny's spine.

"That's far enough," Danny said threateningly, increasing the intensity of the flames in his hands.

The hybrid raised his hands in front of him. "There's no need to worry, Daniel, I'm not coming any closer. I just... want to talk." 

"Talk?"

"Yes," his archenemy continued. "I know you, my dear boy. After we've left you'll go after this ghost yourself."

"So what if I do? That's my business. I'm not going to say it again, Plasmius. Get lost! Now!" Danny's eyes glowed menacingly - illuminating parts of his features in a green otherwordly light - and he aimed his hands at the man in front of him. The flames merged into one violently swirling orb, accompanied with a high-pitched charging sound.

Skulker was surprised. He had rarely seen the ghost child in such a serious manner. The whelp was not playing games anymore. 

"You're trying to trick me. I'm not falling for that, Plasmius!" Danny said darkly. His voice was raised, slightly quivering and there was an edge to it.

Plasmius folded his hands. "Of course you're not, Daniel. You are _way_ too intelligent to be fooled so easily. But if you're going after this ghost," he chuckled, "at least you should know what you're up against." He placed a hand on his chest. "And of course, only I can provide you with such knowledge; if you're interested…"

Danny stopped charging the orb in his hands, but he didn't absorb it and instead kept it aimed at Plasmius.

Vlad smirked. "I'll take your silence as a yes. Now, allow me to start from the beginning. This won't take long."

"I don't know why you want to willingly share information with me, Vlad," Danny said warily, "but I'll listen as long as you don't try to trick me or something."

"Oh no, I promise you," Plasmius said while placing a hand on his chest again. "I won't do anything."

The young half-ghost gave his nemesis a distrustful glare.

Internally, Vlad relished the apprehension and fear his presence sparked in the teen every time they met, but outwardly he continued calmly and casually.

"As you know, the Ghost Zone is a barren dimension, mainly consisting of scattered islands and realms. It's chaotic, dangerous and lawlessness prevails. It's a world where the strong take what they want from the weak. While I enjoy taking advantage of that situation myself, it's not a place I would prefer to live. It's rather unpleasant there."

Danny scowled. "Get to the point, Plasmius. What does this have to do with that ghost?"

"What if I told you the Ghost Zone wasn't always like that?" Plasmius raised an amused eyebrow.

Danny's eyes widened.

"What if I told you that a time long ago, the Ghost Zone was actually a more pleasant world to live in?"

"I'd have a hard time believing that," the boy answered with a confused look.

"But it's the truth, Daniel. Millennia ago, the Ghost Zone consisted of only a few continents instead of the thousands of islands we see today. The first civilization known to inhabit this realm is today only known as the Ancients. You could say they were an enlightened people."

"They wanted to help the fledgling species in the lands around them because even at that time evil was present. So they undertook an ambitious project to bring peace to the Ghost Zone. They created an animal ghost; a wolf-like creature that was one of its kind."

"This creation of theirs became a symbol of hope for those who were weak. It was a dared experiment."

Plasmius hovered closer to Danny, and the teen charged his ecto-blast he was aiming at the hybrid further. Seeing his younger rival still had his guard up, he halted again. Danny gave a cocky smirk when he noticed the man's annoyed reaction. The older hybrid seemed to shrug it off and simply went on. 

"At first, everything went according to plan. This ghost protected the innocent from evil. His ability allowed him to travel almost instantly to every part of the Ghost Zone wherever he was needed."

"He defeated bloodthirsty armies, powerful ghosts and warlike kingdoms whenever they threatened those who were defenseless. He built homes and harvested crops. He entertained ghosts and helped them overcome their misery. One moment he destroyed armies, and the next he would play with children. The Ancients were pleased with these developments."

Vlad stopped, slightly tilting his head at the unease flashing in the teen's eyes. "Is there something wrong?" he asked innocently, feigning a look of concern.

Despite being interested, Danny began to feel uncomfortable. For someone who had just lost, Plasmius was calm, too calm. He didn't like it. Noticing that his enemy had paused and was now looking at him with a creepy smirk that made his body tense, Danny knew very well this was the right moment to defeat them, yet he couldn't supress his curiosity either.

He kept his charged ecto-blast aimed at his nemesis but it still did little to ease his worries. Reassuring himself Plasmius and Skulker were weaker than him right now, he decided to take his chances.

"Just make it quick, Plasmius," he snapped, purposely ignoring his question while scowling at the man's mocking expression.

Vlad grinned widely at his young rival's edginess. "Of course, little badger." Danny winced at the nickname. Vlad chuckled. "As I said, the Ancients were pleased. They believed that nothing could go wrong, but they were mistaken. Because there was one evil they did not anticipate: the evil from within."

Vlad paused as if he was trying to remember something… or feel for something… Before Danny could question the man's sudden and bizarre action he continued just as casually as before. "There were some who didn't agree with the path their leaders had taken. This faction saw the other species as nothing more than nuisances that could pose a threat to their own kind one day." 

"They argued to use their creation, in their eyes their greatest military asset, as a tool of war to conquer their neighbors. Tensions rose and soon civil war erupted. After a bloody period the war was finally nearing its end. The rebels knew they were losing, and with their creation now being used against  _them_ , they saw no other option and infected it with a virus, with the intention of re-programming it and to gain control over it. However, this proved to be a  _fatal_  mistake."

Plasmius smiled inwardly. The boy had become so engrossed in the story he didn't seem to realize he had dropped his guard at last. The young half-ghost was now resting the swirling mass of ecto-energy in the palm of his right hand instead of aiming it at his enemy. Plasmius noted there was no longer any hostility. 

"What happened next?" Danny asked, his voice slightly wavered and Plasmius could tell he already knew the answer.

"You can see the results whenever you enter the Ghost Zone. The creature turned insane. Uncontrollable by anyone, it turned into a raging monster whose true name is forever lost in the annals of history. The entire Ghost Zone was devastated. No continent was spared, countless ghosts were slaughtered, the civilization of the Ancients wiped out." Vlad faked sympathy but then shrugged dismissively.

"The Ancients fought with everything they had left. They sacrificed thousands of their kind to slow down the monster's progress so other species could escape into relative safety. Eventually the beast was slain and its reign of terror ended forever."

"I had no idea the Ghost Realm suffered so much. That's terrible."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Plasmius said in an indifferent tone, earning him an irritated gaze from the ghost teen.

"Feeling responsible for the destruction they caused, the surviving Ancients - and those were only a few - headed beyond the edge of the Ghost Zone. To this day, no one knows if any of them are still alive."

"The continents were gone, broken into the islands we see today. Countless homes destroyed, many species decimated or extinct. This period led to the rise of a new leader, promising those who survived a new era of peace. He would later be known as 'Pariah Dark."

"Pariah!" Danny exclaimed. "That's how he came to power!?"

"Yes. Almost all the ghosts in the Ghost Zone supported him at the time; seeing him as their savior. Little did they know that he would grow into a tyrant. If it hadn't been for the Ancients, Pariah Dark would not have been able to gain enough followers to establish dominion over the Ghost Zone."

"I still don't understand what this has to do with the ghost you and Skulker were fighting earlier." Danny's eyes widened. "Wait! Are you saying... they're one and the same?"

"Ah yes, about that..." Plasmius paused for a second, a devilish grin appeared on his features. "I'll have to get back to you on this later."

"What do you mea— Aaah!"

Another Plasmius blasted Danny in the back. With a pain-stricken grimace, the young half-ghost spun around and fired an ecto-blast at his attacker. The Plasmius duplicate formed a barrier, deflected the blast, leaped forward, grabbed Danny's hand and flipped the boy over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground with a sickening thud.

Danny groaned as a painful jolt shot up through his spine. He pushed himself up, launched himself at the duplicate and slammed his right fist into his face. The doppelganger stumbled backwards and cried in pain as Danny flew past him. The duplicate growled, teleported and blasted Danny with an ectobeam. He teleported again and gave Danny an uppercut, sending the dazed teen into the air. He teleported a third time and rammed his knee in his stomach, slammed his elbow into his spine, then blasted him again. The teen cried out in agony as he plunged into the ground.

When the debris cleared the young half-ghost was lying on his stomach in a newly formed crater. His face was half-buried in the mud, his hands thrust deep into the wet earth, and parts of his jumpsuit were burned and giving off wisps of smoke.

Danny coughed up ectoplasm, and with trembling arms he got on his hands and knees. "You liar, you said you wouldn't—"

Plasmius laughed. "Oh my dear boy, you really should have known better by now. And technically I didn't do anything. You can thank my handsome doppelganger for that."

 _I can't believe I fell for this._   _I'm such an idiot._

Danny fired two ice beams from his eyes at Plasmius, who barely avoided them by going intangible. The duplicate immediately delivered a kick to his stomach, the force of the blow flipping the young halfa on his back. He then grabbed Danny roughly by the arm and shot a current of electricity into his body. Danny let out a heartbreaking cry as crimson lightning arced between him and the ground.

The duplicate lifted the boy to his feet, then slid his arms underneath his armpits and held him in a lock. Danny tried going intangible but the doppelganger released another current of electric energy which blocked his attempt. The duplicate chuckled with vengeful anticipation. He was now sending a steady stream of red electricity at a lower intensity through the ghost teen; it was enough to prevent his young rival from using his powers.

Danny glared at the clone who was holding him, but his malicious smirk made him shiver, and he could no longer keep up his defiance.

"Let's see if we can teach you to hold your tongue." Plasmius drove his fist into Danny's stomach. The boy gasped for air, utter shock visible in his eyes. Glaring viciously, Plasmius slammed his fist into Danny's face. The young halfa didn't react, not willing to give his opponent the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

Noticing green ectoplasm flowing from Danny's mouth, Plasmius grinned evilly. He lifted Danny's head with his hand and gazed at the teen with gleeful satisfaction.

"Fruitloop," Danny muttered, his eyes half-closed.

Plasmius grabbed Danny by the face and buried his fingers into his skin, forcing the boy to look into his blazing eyes. The maniacal look in the man's eyes send a chill down Danny's back, and he felt himself tremble.

Skulker was checking his tracker after receiving a signal. He frowned as a green dot was nearing their position. 

"Plasmius, that ghost is coming back. We're running out of time." 

The duplicate let Danny go and the teen fell to his knees, coughing up ectoplasm as he tried to catch his breath. Not allowing him to recuperate, the original Plasmius grabbed him by the neck and lifted him to his feet. 

"We're almost finished." With these words both Plasmiuses injected a wave of hot energy into Danny's ghost form.

The boy let out a bloodcurling scream.

Plasmius leaned forward and spoke into the boy's ear. "Only a little longer, my little badger. It will all be over soon."

"V-Vlad s-stop. I can't b-breathe, I can't—" The older half-ghost smirked cruelly as he watched the boy lose consciousness and felt his body go limp. At that moment the duo halted their attack. The boy's head hung over Plasmius' hand, which still held the boy's neck in a constricting grip.

"I believe that's enough," the duplicate stated with satisfaction, withdrawing his hand from Danny's shoulders and taking a step back.

"I believe it is," the original confirmed.

Skulker looked at his employer with some surprise. "You must really hate the ghost child."

For a moment Plasmius stayed silent as he looked at his young rival. "I don't hate the boy, Skulker," he replied solemnly. "I needed him to be unconscious. Although I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of it." He carefully picked up the half-ghost and held him in his arms, just as two white rings appeared around Danny's waist, transforming him back into his human form, and in turn sending a soft tingle through Plasmius' body. As the transformation happened, the duplicate used his cape to cover the boy from sight.

"For now it would be best if Daniel's identity remains unknown."

The older hybrid smiled as he took in the boy's condition. Skulker noticed it was a different smile from the ones before. It was almost... caring? The man gently laid the teen on his back in a patch of long grass. He was barely done when there was a warning signal from Skulker's computer.

"He's coming back!" The hunter immediately activated his shoulder cannon and glanced his surroundings, having no intention to be surprised again.

There was a ferocious roar from above. Skulker pointed to the roof of a mattress factory across the street. Both Plasmiuses gasped; this was very bad timing.

Juukka released a chilling howl and leaped into the air, casting a shadow as he passed in front of the full moon. The creature landed and dashed towards Plasmius and his duplicate, who were still standing next to the unconscious Danny.

The duplicate unleashed a volley of ecto-blasts. Juukka dodged, unsheathed his claws and lunged at them with a terrifying roar. The doppelganger evaded the lunge, a slash, and then blocked the next attack with his ecto-shield. The original Plasmius formed a sword and struck at the animal ghost, only to be blocked by the creature's claws. Plasmius grunted as his opponent used his momentum against him and pushed him back. The duplicate created a sword as well and thrust it down at the ghost with all his might. There was a rhythmic sound of clashing as Juukka kept blocking their attacks before being pushed back.

Juukka grabbed both swords and shattered them between its claws. The original Plasmius rammed his fist into Juukka's stomach. But he recovered, grabbed his fist, pulled him closer and slashed at him, only to be blocked by the duplicate's ecto-shield. Juukka's body flashed and in an instant there were two more. The two clones lunged but were again blocked by an ecto-shield. The original Juukka dashed from behind, grabbed the duplicate by the neck with its tail and slammed him into the ground. Plasmius retaliated and blasted Juukka into a nearby van. The ecto-shield dissipated and the clones converged on Plasmius.

Not wanting to risk a direct confrontation any longer both Plasmiuses teleported away and next to Skulker. Juukka's clones dissipated and the ghost positioned himself between them and Danny.

The wolf-like ghost's body charged with electrical energy. His helmet emitted a whitish glow and lightning jumped between its spikes.

A lightning bolt shot in their direction.

"Jump, now!" Skulker yelled.

"BAM!"

All three managed to fly into the air as the lightning struck. A thunderous sound rumbled in all directions. The trio landed on the roof of a nearby warehouse. Plasmius and his duplicate were blinded by the flash of light. 

Skulker felt a hint of panic creeping up. This was bad.

Juukka unleashed another bolt of electricity from the top of his helmet.

"Plasmius! Intangible, now!" 

"BAM!"

The bolt slammed into the roof of the warehouse. It rumbled but did nothing else.

The hunter grimaced as he looked over at Juukka. _I need to deal with him now!_

Skulker jumped to the ground, activated his rockets and propelled himself at full speed towards his prey, leaving a trail of green flames in his wake.

"BAM!"

A third bolt of powerful electrical energy shook the ground. Skulker had barely been able to avoid it.

_Blast that creature!_

The hunter took a light grenade from his belt. 

"BAM!"

"BAM!"

Two more bolts shook the ground. The hunter dodged them both.

Just before Juukka could aim another bolt Skulker let go of the grenade as he flew over his opponent; it landed in front of the ghost's armored feet. 

Juukka cried out as the flash of light blinded him for a second time. He stumbled backwards and covered his pain-stricken eyes. Skulker fired another net, but this time the animal ghost was expecting it and dived to the side. He turned around, dropped down on all fours and ran away. He smacked his head into a parked car, climbed over it, then ran towards the entrance of a conference center down the street. He smashed through the door and ran into the building. Skulker could hear glass shattering and the cries of people still inside.

While this was happening, the vision of the Plasmius duo had returned. They jumped off the roof of the warehouse and flew into the air. The duplicate landed next to Skulker while the original landed next to Danny and kneeled beside him.

Skulker kept some distance from the unconscious ghost child. He looked at his employer questioningly. "What are you planning? Why is the whelp so important?" 

"You'll see, Skulker. You'll see," he replied while stroking Danny's raven-black hair. After doing so, he made himself intangible and plunged his hands into Danny's chest. Within a second Plasmius disappeared completely into his body.

"He's overshadowing the whelp!"

Danny's body began to move in wild spasms as a violet glow surrounded him. Even while unconscious the boy cried out.

"He's resisting, but it won't matter." The duplicate Plasmius was standing next to the ghost hunter. "Because Daniel is a half-ghost he has, just like me, a natural defense against overshadowing, but this resistance is lowered when unconscious. It won't take long." The duplicate was grinning.

Danny's frantic movements stopped and the glow dissipated. Nothing seemed to have changed.

"Plasmius?" Skulker asked cautiously.

Danny's eyes shot open, but they were not his usual green. Instead, two red pupils stared intently at the hunter. Danny's mouth drew back in a smirk of triumph.

"Yes, Skulker. It's me." Plasmius was still using his own voice.

After transforming back into ghost form - And again being shielded by the duplicate's cape from view -  the boy stood up without effort, then looked at his hands and body with a satisfied smile. "Ah, the blessings of youth." 

He chuckled. "This is even better than I hoped for, although Daniel's body has been weakened he still has so much energy left." He tested his arms and legs in a series of quick movements. "I'll only need a few minutes to get used to this body and then..." Another chuckle. Plasmius was feeling very pleased with himself. "...and then there will be nothing left to stand in our way."

"Skulker moved his hand through the flames on his head. "I still don't understand what you're up to. Are you going to fight in that whelp's body? And what about your voice?"

Plasmius cleared Danny's throat. "How about this then? Now do I sound like him?"

The hunter nodded in amazement. Plasmius looked at Danny's hands, smiling confidently. "You'll see. All in good time, my dear Skulker. All in good time."

The ghost boy rose into the air. "Now, let the hunt continue!"

* * *

  **Next time: Plasmius encounters unexpected resistance from within as he tries to master Danny's body.**


	5. A complicated game

 

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. This awesome series and all of its characters are property of Butch Hartman.**

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you stay with me for the next chapters.**

* * *

"I've picked up his location. He's hiding in the warehouse below us."

"Excellent. Well done, Skulker. This time he won't escape."

Although Plasmius had felt a bit uncomfortable in Danny's body during the first few minutes, he had now managed to completely adapt. The biggest difficulty was getting used to the boy's size; everything seemed a little bigger and the size difference between him and Skulker was now quite noticeable. On the other hand, he had no trouble controlling this body at all; in fact, it felt as if every movement was easier than with his own body. There was an uncomfortable truth in Daniel's words: he was getting old. The boy was in the prime of his life, and would only become stronger as time went on.

_If his growth continues, he will surpass me one day. And what happens then?_

"Plasmius?"

_This game of chess has gone on long enough. With the emergence of this creature I'll finally be able to finish this game once and for all. Not only will I be able to establish dominance over Daniel, but over the entire Ghost Zone as well. When his programming is complete, there will be no limit to his power, which means there will be no limit to mine either._

"Plasmius!?" Skulker tried again.

_It's a shame you can't see how I'm creating my own destiny, my boy. But that aside, I can't wait to see your expression when you find out the true extent of the power I'm about to acquire._

_**I think I have a pretty good idea, Vlad.** _

_What? Who...? No, it can't be..._

_**Yep, the one and only, Danny Phantom.** _

_Impossible! You're supposed to be unconscious. I shouldn't be able to detect your presence!_

Being that they were currently linked, Danny felt a wave of surprise and... even uncertainty wash through his enemy.

_**I guess not, but then again, you've never overshadowed a half-ghost before, have you? So how can you know what should and shouldn't happen?** _

_And once again you're getting in my way, Daniel. Although, I'm intrigued to know how you did this._

_**Well, feel free to theorize about this all you want, but do it in your own body. In other words, get out of mine!** _

Knowing Danny could feel his emotions, Vlad inwardly smirked as he felt the boy's anger grow.

_Hmm… no, I don't think I will._

Danny became furious upon feeling the man's smugness swell, so much that it was almost suffocating.

_**Get out, Plasmius! Or I'll push you out myself!** _

_Hah! I'd like to see you try._ _You forget I can sense you, Daniel, and you are weak. Not only that, but there's no ghost who has more experience with overshadowing than me. I built my whole empire upon it._ _Do you really believe you can beat me at my own game?_

_**We'll see. I may not be able to push you out right now, but I can make things difficult for you while you're in here.** _

_Enough of this nonsense. You can't do anything as long as I'm in control._ _So I suggest you keep quiet and wait. I want you to see how I'll become the most powerful being in existence._

Danny forced himself to calm down. He needed to stay focused and conserve his energy.

_**So, that's it? It's all about power, nothing else? I'm disappointed, Plasmius. After all this time I've known you I expected something more. What happened to the "I'm not a villain" speech?** _

Much to Danny's confusion, he felt a wave of sadness from the man, but it quickly vanished again.

_Times have changed, Daniel. In the past, I've always relied on my powers and intellect to obtain influence and control, whether in the Ghost Zone or on Earth. But after the recent incidents with ghosts like Vortex and Undergrowth I realize now that I need something beyond that. You could call it insurance for the future, if you will._

_**In other words, you're just afraid, right? Vortex, Undergrowth, Nocturn... you weren't strong enough to fight them and... heh, it all makes sense. Now I understand why there has been so much ghost activity around your mansion lately, why you're testing these new inventions and why you're searching the Ghost Zone for artifacts like the Infi-map. You're trying to find something, anything... that will give you an edge over your enemies.**_

Vlad suddenly felt uncomfortable with their link, but he pushed it aside before Danny could sense it.

_Now... don't put words in my mouth. Afraid? Me? Ha! Don't make me laugh. Just when I thought you were more intelligent than I gave you credit for. You're just a fifteen-year old boy. What arrogance to think you can even begin to comprehend my motivations, my intellect. How delightfully amusing._

_**Of course I can't comprehend you! Who could comprehend a crazed-up fruit loop?** _

Even within this mental plane Plasmius could picture Daniel's smug and infuriating half-smile.He groaned inwardly. Was there no escape from the boy's childish antics? 

"Plasmius! What's wrong with you? Say something!" Skulker had grabbed Danny's left shoulder and was shaking him vigorously. The young half-ghost's body had been floating motionless for minutes now. The hunter had called his employer's name several times already and had now grown impatient. The Plasmius duplicate's reassurances did little to ease Skulker's growing worries. They had less than an hour left to capture Juukka before he would be able to create another portal. If he managed to escape through such a portal that creature could literally go anywhere. Tracking him would become a lot more difficult, if not downright impossible.

"Skulker," the duplicate called, placing a hand on the hunter's arm, "Calm yourself. Although I don't know how, Daniel is awake and we are talking to each other. Don't worry, I'm almost finished."

"I hope so," Skulker replied. He then tilted his head slightly to the left while withdrawing his arm from the boy's shoulder. "You know, with the whelp awake now, you do realize there is a risk of him trying to drive you out."

"Do not concern yourself with that. I can control the boy."

_Well, I guess that was my cue. I have business to attend to._

_**I won't let you get away with this, I won't let you do this!** _

_There's nothing you can do. You've lost, Daniel. Accept it._

"Plasmius?" Skulker said, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can." Plasmius was speaking in Danny's voice. He turned towards the hunter with a small grin. "Apologies for the delay. Everything is under control." 

Skulker looked at the overshadowed teen with uncertainty. "I really hope you know what you're doing, because I have a bad feeling about this."

Starting to look irritated, the duplicate replied, "Have a bit more faith, Skulker. I already told you this is not your concern. So I would prefer if you'd stay out of this."

The hunter sighed. "As long as you're sure you can keep him in check I won't say anything. Because if you can't, it could jeopardize our hunt."

The duplicate simply gestured at Danny's body. The boy started to move his hands, making quick boxing movements while throwing a few kicks in between.

You see, Skulker?" Plasmius said while increasing his speed, "I'm in complete control. The bo— Ahh!"

Before he could finish his sentence, his right hand suddenly moved forward and hit the duplicate in the face.

"Ow!"

"I believe the whelp has just proved you wrong." the hunter said, having difficulty suppressing a grin at the sight. Plasmius and the duplicate, who was now covering his face with his hand, glared at him in irritation, but said nothing.

_So Daniel, it seems you insist on making things difficult for yourself._

_**This is my body, Plasmius. You may have the upper hand, but I'll fight you every chance I get.** _

_When will you realize tha— What? No!_

Danny turned around, looked at Skulker with a big grin, stuck his hand right at the astounded hunter's face and fired. The force of the blast propelling the mechanical ghost backwards.

Skulker stabilized his suit and came to a halt. He put a hand on his face.  _Hopefully no visual sensors were damaged._  "Plasmius!" What are you...?"  _Wait... it's that whelp._

As he withdrew his hand he noticed his vision had become blurry, but it was still clear enough to see the ghost child punching the duplicate in the face. However, at the moment the boy tried to hit him again, a pink glow appeared around him, and he flinched and screamed in agony.

_Your resistance is pointless. What can you possibly hope to accomplish with these pathetic efforts of yours?_

_**I told you... I'll make things... difficult for you.** _

_Alright then, I guess I'll just have to do this the hard way._

While Skulker's eyes slowly came into focus - and realized the whelp hadn't intended to seriously damage him - he looked in awe at the unfolding scene. Danny's body became engulfed in violet and crimson flames, and sparks of lightning arced in all directions. The Plasmius duplicate watched with a tensed expression; although not part of the actual overshadowing, he was still using and directing his powers to keep Danny under control. The hunter was not surprised to see how much trouble Plasmius and his clone were having in controlling the ghost child. If there was one thing he had learned from all his past encounters with him, it was that the whelp had amazing willpower.

_No! You can't be this strong. This isn't possible!_

_**I don't care if it's possible or not. I just want you out!** _

Skulker's mouth fell open as he saw the flames of the aura turn green.  _That's the kid's aura. He's pushing Plasmius back!_ He glanced over at the duplicate, who had clenched his fists and was trembling all over, drops of sweat dripping from his chin. When the hunter looked at Danny again he noticed that his eyes had turned green. Skulker slowly drifted backwards; if the boy were to regain control he didn't want to be too close.

 _I've had enough of this! No more Mr. Nice Plasmius!_ He sent out a surge of energy through all parts of Phantom's body, trying to push away any trace of Danny's influence.

_**Arrgh! Too strong!** _

_Ha ha ha! You fool, I told you I was in control, and there's nothing you can do about it. Do you hear me, Daniel? Nothing!_

Danny placed both hands on top of his head, then released an even more painful scream. The lightning bolts became larger and more frequent, two hit Skulker in the chest and hurled him backwards. The duplicate was hit with several lightning strikes, but didn't react, his thoughts and concentration focused on the struggle taking place before him.

"Vlad, don't... don't do this." For a moment he had control over his voice again. 

Danny's arms and legs hung limp and his head drooped forward. His eyes were closed. His green aura changed back to violet.

After moments of silence, Skulker carefully moved closer. The Plasmius duplicate held an expression of triumph.

"Plasmius?"

Plasmius took a breath before crossing the boy's arms and replying in Danny's voice. "I'm in control now." To prove his point he moved Danny's body upside down, floating calmly in the air before continuing, "Daniel won't interfere again." 

The duplicate spoke next. "Skulker, what's our current status?"

The hunter looked at his onboard computer and pushed a few buttons. "We have around fifty minutes left, after that he'll have enough energy to create another portal. He's still hiding in the southeast corner of that warehouse."

Plasmius placed Danny's hand on Skulker's shoulder and pulled him closer. The ghost hunter still found it an odd experience and winced inwardly. "How about we to set up a little play for our furry friend?"

* * *

Slowly the overshadowed Danny floated down through the roof into the central storage area of the warehouse. The faint beams coming from the full moon helped him get an impression of the layout of the room. Skulker had told him exactly where Juukka was hiding, so he turned around to view that portion of the building. Eerily lit by moonlight, a large packing machine with several racks stood against the wall. If Skulker's information was correct, the creature had to be somewhere behind that machine.

_Let's see if I can lure him out._

Plasmius cleared Danny's throat, then tried to emulate his voice as well as he could. "I don't know who you are, but you don't have to be afraid of me. I don't mean any harm."

He listened for a reaction but heard nothing. He sighed inwardly. What would Daniel say? Pretending to be him was not as easy as he thought. "Listen, I saw how you were on the run from Plasmius and Skulker. I just escaped from them. They're my enemies as well."

This time he did hear footsteps. They were coming from behind the machine.

_Excellent._

"I came here because I want to help."

An evil grin appeared on the boy's face when he saw Juukka, hesitantly, inch out of his hiding spot. Walking on all fours, he slowly moved forward into the light, his tail kept between his legs. Plasmius changed his grin into a smile as he observed the uncertainty and fear surrounding the creature's movements.

Juukka stood up when he was about a few feet away from the ghost teen. He stared into Danny's eyes, oblivious to the evil that lurked behind the boyish expression. His tail began to swing nervously and he tilted his head slightly, as if waiting for something.

Plasmius stretched out Danny's right hand. "It's nice to meet you. I hope we can become friends." Juukka's eyes filled with a sense of relief. He cautiously stretched his hand towards Danny and stepped closer.

This was all Plasmius needed. He forcefully took Juukka's hand, prompting the creature to yelp in surprise.

"I've got you now," Plasmius said with a diabolical grin. He grabbed Juukka's wrist with his left hand, then spun around and threw the ghost over his shoulder and onto the cold floor. Juukka lay down on his back for a few moments, then sat up, rubbed his back and groaned. He rose to his feet and stared at the boy, confused. With an apologetic expression he stretched out his hand again.

 _I can't believe how naive he is. Well, that only makes it easier for me._  Plasmius put his hands together and formed an ecto-blast, its green glow eerily illuminating parts of the warehouse hall. Juukka cried out in shock as the boy released the energy mass, but was too late to avoid it. The blast hit him in the stomach and slammed him into the wall. Juukka rose to his feet again and fixed his gaze on the ghost boy, this time with a noticeable hint of irritation. He began to charge an ecto-blast of his own.

Plasmius rushed forward, slammed into him, grabbed him around the waist, and forced him to let go of the energy he was holding. He took Juukka off the ground, made them both intangible and pushed the creature through the wall. They hit the ground outside and rolled over one another on the  pavement. Plasmius let go, moved back and crossed his arms as he looked with some satisfaction at the result. The animal ghost was shaken, disheartened, and was now struggling to get up to his feet.

Plasmius glanced around. They were now near the harbor of the industrial district, standing close to the waterfront with the lake stretching out before them. In the distance he could make out the flashing lights of a few helicopters as well as a number of patrolling police boats. Still, it would be at least an hour before anyone would attempt to enter the area. After all, he had given the order to wait for government support. He chuckled. Yes, being the mayor certainly had its advantages.

Realizing that his mind had started to wander, he focused himself on his objective again. Juukka was now standing on its hind legs, staring at Danny with sadness in its eyes. Plasmius knew he had to be feeling terrible at this point, having been betrayed and attacked from all sides ever since its creation.

_Time for the next part of my little production._

"You didn't  _really_  think I wanted to be your friend?" He said mockingly with a cold grin. "You're just another evil ghost who wants to mess up my town." He pointed his thumb at the big D on Danny's chest. "Guess again; not on my watch."

Juukka, now panicking, stretched out his arms and made frantic waving movements with his hands. He then placed both hands on the emblem on his chest while shaking his head wildly.

"So you're saying I'm wrong? That you aren't here to hurt the people of Amity Park?"

The creature nodded.

"Too bad I don't believe ghosts." The overshadowed Danny chuckled. "I'm going to kick you out of this town myself, the hard way." He smashed his right fist into his left hand while grinning evilly.

Juukka yelped faintly as he saw the ghost boy coming closer, his eyes glowing menacingly, his hands brimming with energy. With his attention focused on the teen, he didn't notice Skulker approaching from behind.

The hunter shot a missile towards his distracted target. Just before impact the projectile deployed a glowing green net that quickly expanded, capturing the ghost inside of it once again. Skulker grabbed the ghost by the neck, lifted him and the net into the air and then threw him against the wall.

"This time you won't escape." Skulker sported a satisfied grin and walked over to his quarry, who didn't make an effort to struggle this time. Juukka grabbed the edges of the net and looked at his captor in fear, his ears flattened, his eyes trembling. Plasmius willed Danny's body to land next to Skulker.

_**This is so low, Plasmius.** _

_Ah, Daniel, you're back. It's a good thing I didn't push you away too far, hmm? Let this be a warning: don't even think about attempting such a stunt again. As for that ghost, I don't care about its feelings. My plan is working perfectly and that's all what matters to me._

_**Mind telling me what that 'plan' of yours is?** _

_You'll see. Just wait._

The overshadowed Danny spun around and blasted Skulker into a stack of crates. 

The hunter grumbled, but said nothing as he went intangible and stepped out of the pile. He moved closer to Juukka, who had lost his will to fight. His shoulders were slumped, and a defeated look in his eyes said it all. 

"You know, whelp," Skulker began, "I didn't come here to fight you this time. I just came for this ghost. He'll make a valuable trophy for my collection. If you just let me—"

"Heh," the boy replied smugly, "I'm not letting you get away." He cracked his knuckles. "Tell you what, I'm going to beat you straight into the ground, and  _if_  you manage to survive, I'll let you take that stupid, worthless ghost with you." Juukka cringed at the boy's words. "If not, I'll have two ghosts to beat up, which just means more fun for me."

"Well then," Skulker replied, "maybe you'd like to start with this one first." He pushed a button on his onboard computer. Suddenly a current of electricity travelled through the net and across Juukka's body. The ghost let out a heartbroken wail. 

_**I hope you're proud of yourself.** _

_Actually, I am._

Skulker grabbed the net and dragged Juukka out into the open. "What about it, ghost child?" The hunter chuckled with amusement. "He's neatly wrapped up like a present. Go ahead and have fun with him," before adding darkly, "but keep him alive long enough for me to deliver the killing blow." 

"You know," the ghost teen said to Skulker in a mischievous tone, "I've changed my mind. Do with him whatever you want." 

"You're too kind," the hunter replied to his employer with a knowing smirk. He powered down the net, activated his blade, grabbed his quarry by the neck and pushed him against the wall. Juukka let out a startled yelp and the look in his eyes changed into one of terror. The hunter chuckled with delight as he brought the deadly weapon close to the ghost's neck. He pushed Juukka's head back, laying bare the soft and vulnerable part of his throat. The ghost whimpered, and Skulker knew it was begging for its life.

"This won't hurt... much."

"Skulker, what are you doing! Stop this foolishness at once!"

Juukka looked up. A Plasmius duplicate approached them from the left. Skulker smirked. It was time for the next stage of their plan.

* * *

Plasmius felt elated. His plan had worked perfectly. Such a simple plan, yet brilliant in its execution. Portray Daniel as a villain and himself as a savior.

His duplicate had performed admirably. He had "saved" Juukka from both Daniel and Skulker, and was now close in convincing the animal ghost to give him another chance.

Daniel, of course, had not been happy with this. And he had complained all the way through, loudly. Plasmius had found it interesting how Daniel wasn't even that resentful about his body being taken over, but he could really feel the intensity of his emotions about what they were doing to this ghost. He was even more upset about his body being used to hurt others.

Daniel's hero complex had always been something Plasmius had frowned upon, but his concern for the wellbeing of others was another oddity about his character he didn't understand.

Juukka was now standing in front of the Plasmius duplicate, staring at his savior with a strange look in its eyes. After what seemed like an eternity he extended his right hand, a wary gaze lining his features, and the ghost was clearly fearing the worst after Danny's betrayal. The duplicate accepted his hand and shook it gently.

Plasmius let Danny's body rise out of the cold water of the lake - after being blasted into it by his duplicate during their "performance" - and landed  some distance away from Juukka. An intangible Skulker came out of the warehouse - after pretending to flee when the duplicate had come to Juukka's defense -  and moved next to the overshadowed Danny. Juukka turned and glared at them, shielding the duplicate by moving in front of him.

"There's no need to worry," the duplicate said calmly. "I'm sure they wouldn't be foolish enough to challenge us now. And if they are, then we'll show them they can never beat the two of us." Juukka turned around and stared at him. His wary look finally melted and his eyes lit up. He made a sound Plasmius hadn't heard before, but it had a cheerful tone to it. The whole demeanor of the ghost had changed instantly. The glow around its body had become brighter, and there was a look of sincere gratitude within his eyes. 

Plasmius was grinning at the sight. A feeling of triumph and satisfaction overflowed in his mind and knowing Daniel could feel everything made him even more thrilled. He had won. He had finally found his destiny.

_**You're feeling pleased with yourself, aren't you?** _

_Yes, as a matter of fact I am. Why? He suddenly realized the boy was feeling smug himself._

_**Awesome! That will make me feel even better when I do this!** _

Danny's body let out a terrifying scream. Juukka and Skulker looked up in surprise, and the Plasmius duplicate growled in frustration. A violet glow radiated from the body of the young half-ghost, and erupted violently into an inferno of crimson and green flames.

_No! Do not dare! Stop this futile struggling at once!_

_**I don't care if you push me back again, I'm not going to let you get away with this!** _

_Daniel! When I get back in control I'm going to make you suffer for this!_

_**You don't scare me, Plasmius! So come on, cheese head, show me the best you've got!** _

_You're finished! You hear me, Daniel? Finished!!!_

Plasmius stumbled backwards, his hands clinging to Danny's head as he let another tortured scream. His voice now alternating between Danny and himself.

Skulker firmly grabbed the boy's shoulder, shaking it in order to get his employer's attention. "Plasmius! Can you hear me? Plasmius!"

Plasmius painfully managed to force Danny's body in the direction of the hunter. "Don't call me Plasmius, you fool!" he hissed. On that moment his eyes turned green, and Danny wrested back control of his voice.

"Juukka! Plasmius has been lying to you! He—"

_I warned you, Daniel!_

Plasmius unleashed a wave of mental energy and pushed Danny's presence back again. The boy's fading mental cry chilled the older half-ghost to his core and he cursed himself for letting things get out of control. Having seized control of Daniel's body once more he glared at Skulker. 

"Call me by the boy's name. If that ghost realizes _—_ "

A low, ominous growl came from behind...

And his expression changed into one of shock.


	6. Confrontation

There is violence in this chapter. Blood (ectoplasm) is mentioned.

* * *

 

Plasmius and Skulker looked over at Juukka. They realized the creature had put everything together. The ghost's eyes radiated an intense glow and his body was trembling. He released an enraged howl and slammed its claws deep within the concrete, creating cracks that spread in all directions.

Plasmius, still in control of Danny's body, could only stare in disbelief.

_Daniel... He has ruined everything._

The hybrid felt anger swell inside him. He gritted his teeth and was overwhelmed with a wave of resentment.

_**And this is exactly what I hoped for.** _

His concentration was broken. He could already feel Daniel's presence returning. And this time he had neither the willpower nor the energy to push the boy back.

_You... you ruined everything!_

_**Yeah, I guess I did.** _

Vlad's hands fisted at feeling triumph and smugness flowing out of the teen's self.

_**I had a feeling that Skulker would slip up and say your name eventually. It's over, Plasmius.** _

_No, this can't be! I was so close._

_**I admit you were. Push me back if you want to, but that ghost knows you lied to him.** _

Juukka howled, dropped on all fours and charged towards the overshadowed Danny.

"Stop, I command you to stop!" Plasmius fired several ectobeams from Danny's palms. Juukka avoided them, willed himself intangible and dived into the teen's body.

_What are you doing, you stupid beast! This body is mine to control!_

_**You're helping me? Awesome!** _

"Danny! Danny! Say something!" Skulker, still angry with himself for giving their plan away, was shaking the boy's shoulder. A furious Plasmius duplicate landed next to him.

"It's too late now, you fool!"

The flames around Danny's body gave way for a bright and green aura. The boy let out one final scream, and the outline of Plasmius emerged from his back with Juukka holding onto his waist. Plasmius hit the ground, and as soon as they became tangible, Juukka stood up, grabbed the hybrid by his collar, held him up and punched him in the face before blasting him away. Skulker immediately moved in to defend his ally and fired two missiles.

Juukka's eyes flashed, shot two beams from them and destroyed the incoming projectiles. The ghost hunter launched himself into the air, swooped down, activated his energy blade and struck at his prey, only to be blocked by the protective bracer on Juukka's right forearm. Juukka's eyes flashed again and Skulker barely avoided the attack by going intangible.

Skulker created some distance, circled around the ghost once, rushed in, went tangible and avoided a slash by diving to the right. With his prey wide open, the hunter moved around and struck his blade at the creature's back. Juukka hissed, growled and shot a vicious glare at his attacker.

Danny fell to his knees. He was panting, sweat was rolling down his face and dripping onto the ground; his body was trembling and hunched forward, his head was resting on the ground. Even with the help of this ghost, it had taken a lot of energy just to drive his archenemy out. Plasmius wasn't kidding when he said he was a master at overshadowing.

The Plasmius duplicate teleported next to Danny, grabbed him by his throat and lifted him in the air. His expression held total anger, his blood red eyes burned with rage, his voice overflowed with resentment. "Once again you took something away from me. You took away my revenge against Jack, you stood in the way of the woman I love; you took away my perfect son and now you've taken away my destiny." His tone of voice was dark and sinister. "Ever since you came into my life you've only caused me pain. All I ever wanted was love." His face contorted with something that came dangerously close to pure hatred. "I'll make you pay for this."

Danny felt a chill running down his spine. He knew the next moments could be brutal, but he was not going to back down. Not anymore. "Yeah?" He scoffed. "I can say the same about you." The Plasmius clone tightened his grip around his neck but he didn't flinch. "You ever wonder why you're only feeling pain, Vlad? Why you don't get any love?" Danny stared his nemesis down, his eyes holding an intense glow and determined look. "Because you only know how to hurt others. You make everyone around you feel miserable. You waste every chance you get to change your life." Danny was now looking at him earnestly. "You always focus on what you don't have, instead of looking at what you've already got," his expression softened, "or what you could still have."

The man's eyes narrowed. His hatred seemed to subside but his anger remained, and Danny could tell he was barely able to keep himself under control. The teen cringed involuntarily as he imagined what Vlad would do to him.

"What are you saying, Daniel?"

Danny composed himself. He waited a few moments before answering. "You had Danielle. You had someone who cared for you."

Plasmius' eyes ingnited with fury. "That girl is a failure! A living reminder of what I'll never have! You were the one I wanted, Daniel! You're the son I was always supposed to have!" His next words were spoken slowly. Bitterness dripping from each one of them. "And Jack took that away from me."

The young half-ghost looked at Plasmius solemnly. "You can't have me, Vlad. You know that."

Plasmius clenched his teeth.

'We could have been family." Danny looked into the man's eyes, and for a moment the fury within them abated. "I understand how much you have suffered and how much you had to go through after the accident." A hint of surprise spread across Plasmius' features. "And I'm really sorry for that." He gave the man a hopeful look. "We could still be family, Vlad. Things can still be different, but you have to let go of the past."

The fire in Vlad's eyes returned. The air around him distorted, the glow of his aura intensified, lightning arced across his body, and Danny winced at the sight. "How dare you, Daniel? How dare you presume to understand my past? Or to understand all the misery I went through?" His voice rose. "And it was all because of your father! I've suffered for over twenty years because of him! And now you want me to let it all go? And for what? To join your  _little_  family?" Mockery and bitterness underlined his every word. "To become that distant uncle who visits only once in a while? And then is forced to see what he can never  _have!?"_

Danny said nothing. He felt he understood Vlad, yet it was exactly because he understood he knew there was nothing he could do for him. They were both half-ghosts. They understood each other better than anyone else would ever be able to. They should have been friends. Instead they were each other's worst enemy. He couldn't change Vlad. No one could. The only one who could really change Vlad was Vlad himself. He would only be able to help if Vlad wanted his help.

The boy suddenly felt very tired.

"Just give it up, Plasmius. It's over." He felt no desire to taunt his archenemy. Not out of fear for retaliation, but out of a kind of pity he couldn't explain himself.

The Plasmius duplicate looked like he was about to say something, but seemingly decided against it in the end. With a frustrated scream, he threw Danny to the ground.

Skulker and Juukka were still locked in their struggle. The hunter had thrust his blade with all his might at his prey, but was once again blocked by its claws. He brought his blade down again and again; the force of his blows were finally driving the ghost back. Juukka blocked one more time and used the momentum to push Skulker away from him. With his opponent off-balance, Juukka dashed to Skulker's right, shot two beams from his eyes and blasted the hunter into the lake. He turned and rushed towards his other target.

The Plasmius duplicate spun around and saw Juukka approaching. The man's eyes ignited with fury once more. He shot his younger rival a dark look. "This isn't over, Daniel. That creature  _will_  be mine." He launched himself at the animal ghost and materialized a sword in his hands. Juukka lunged but was blocked by an ecto-shield. Juukka's body flashed and there was one more. They dashed around the ecto-shield and lunged again. The duplicate struck at one of them with his sword but only hit air as the clone dissipated before his eyes. He spun around and struck at the original Juukka. The ghost ducked, then blasted the sword out of his hands with an ecto-blast.

Juukka jumped over the duplicate, wrapped his tail around his neck and slammed him into the ground. The duplicate grabbed his tail, yanked on it to pull himself to his feet, and then shot a current of red electricity through his opponent. Juukka cried out, but then opened the tip of his tail - a number of projectiles folding out like a flower - and aimed at his enemy. The duplicate created another sword and cut off the ghost's tail.

Juukka cried out in agony as he reached with his hands for something that wasn't there anymore. For a moment the duplicate looked with disgust at the tail in his hand before throwing it aside. The animal ghost barely noticed it; he frantically tried keeping his hand on the gushing wound.

Danny had managed to stand up and saw to his horror what the Plasmius duplicate had done. "Juukka!" He wanted to help, but his legs gave way and he fell to his knees.

In desperation, he did all he could at the moment. "Vlad! Don't do this!" But the man seemed deaf to everything around him.

The duplicate dissolved his sword, rammed his fist into Juukka's abdomen, then blasted him from behind. The ghost cried out as he slammed head first into the ground. The duplicate then delivered a brutal kick to his stomach.

Danny finally managed to keep himself on his feet.

Plasmius was now looming over Juukka. He grabbed the creature by the arm, pulled him roughly onto his back and then shot a current of red electricity into its body. The ghost did not make a sound. It twitched, it trembled, and its eyes were clenched shut. "You exist only to serve me!" There was an edge to the man's voice, and Danny could tell Vlad had reached the end of not only his patience, but of his sanity as well.

Plasmius increased the current further and shot another wave of energy into Juukka's ghostly form. He still did not make a sound. He only looked up, and gave the hybrid a defiant glare. Plasmius hissed. "Foolish creature. You  _will_  submit to your rightful master." He reached for Juukka's emblem, his hand was now radiating a crimson glow and charging crimson sparks that arced between his finger tips and onto the emblem. A malevolent grin of dark delight settled on his features. His eyes were brimming with a blood red radiance. "You'll beg me for mercy by the time I'm through."

"You aren't going to do anything, Plasmius."

The duplicate spun around; Danny Phantom landed in front of him. The hybrid clenched his fists. "Come to me, Daniel. I will enjoy tearing you apart limb from limb." His fangs glinted in the moonlight.

Danny cringed. Plasmius had finally given in to his rage. No, not given in; the man had embraced it. The thought made the young half-ghost shiver, but he steeled himself. There was no going back now. He knew what had to be done.

Plasmius was going down.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you!" Danny fired two ecto-blasts; the duplicate materialized a new sword and deflected both attacks, one into the lake and one into the air. He rushed towards his young rival, thrust his weapon down with all his might, but to his shock Danny catched the sword between his hands. The boy's hands were charged with ecto-energy.

"You— let go!"

"Don't think so, Plasmius."

A short distance away, Skulker checked upon the original Plasmius after he had been blasted into a wall by Juukka earlier. The older hybrid fell to his knees. He panted.

"Skulker."

"Yes?"

"I'm directing all the energy I can spare into the duplicate. I want you to join the fight, there's still a chance..."

"You can count on me." Skulker rose to his feet.

"Focus your efforts on Juukka first. My duplicate will neutralize Daniel."

At that moment Danny broke Plasmius' sword into pieces.

"Impossible!" He dissolved his weapon, charged an ecto-blast, and fired. Danny went intangible and passed through the duplicate's body.

The duplicate spun around, and erected a shield expecting a counterattack. Surprise washed over him when the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Coward," he hissed, "Come back here and fight."

"Oh, I'm fighting alright; you're just way too slow."

The duplicate was aghast to see Danny hovering above him. Before he could react, the teen swooped down and delivered a kick to his chest. Crying out in pain, the duplicate fell and slid several yards across the pavement until his head hit a nearby container. Visibly trembling from anger, he rose to his feet, materialized another sword and lunged at the ghost teen.

Danny landed and immediately dived to his right when the duplicate struck. As his enemy moved to strike again, he fired an ice blast and froze the duplicate's hands together with his weapon. Danny moved back as his nemesis charged hot energy to thaw his cold bindings.

"You RAT!"

The duplicate dissolved his sword, teleported and backhanded Danny across the face. He put his fists together, rammed them into the boy's side, and slammed him into the roof of a car below. He swooped down and Danny barely avoided a massive ecto-beam that blasted the entire car.

The duplicate teleported a second time and gave Danny an uppercut, sending the teen into the air and making him cry out in pain. He teleported a third time and punched Danny in the face. He teleported a fourth time but with a painful grimace the boy spun around and hit the duplicate with an ecto-beam as he re-appeared. Danny moved above his dazed and disoriented nemesis, charged a swirling energy orb between his hands as fast as he could and blasted him a second time, sending the man towards the ground.

Danny flinched as he rubbed his chin.  _For someone who's worried I'm getting stronger than him Vlad really packs a punch._

The Plasmius duplicate stabilized and launched a volley of energy disks. Danny changed his legs into a spectral tail, dived down and dodged the incoming projectiles in a zig zag pattern.

"Payback time!" He changes back and drives his fist into the duplicate's stomach. The hybrid gasps for air, disbelief and surprise visible in his eyes.

"And these two are for overshadowing me!" He slams his fists into the man's face. The duplicate stumbles backwards, clutches his face with both hands and utters a seething growl.

At the same time Skulker went invisible and converged on Juukka who was still recovering from Plasmius' attack.  _This is my last net; better make it count._ He approached from behind, became visible, fired the missile and captured his prey again. He checked his onboard computer and pushed several buttons. "Starting energy drain." Electricity shot through the net and he looked on as the animal ghost writhed in agony.

"Juukka!" Danny flew over the disoriented Plasmius duplicate, blasted him in his back and to his knees with an ecto-beam, then charged an energy disk in his right hand and threw it at the net.

Before the ghost hunter could react the disk had cut the net and ended the draining process.

"No! I'll get you for this, whelp!"

" _Grrr..."_

Skulker's angry expression changed into one of horror as his quarry ecaped from the net and jumped to his feet.

Danny smiled, and the animal ghost gave the boy a grateful glance and nod before turning to his opponent. Suddenly the teen felt someone grabbing his ankle, making him yelp in surprise.

"We're not done yet, Daniel."

"Sorry, Plasmius," the boy said grimly while glaring at his archenemy over his shoulder. "It's over." His eyes turned blue and an aura of cold formed around him. The man screamed in pain as a biting chill spread along his arm. Danny went intangible to escape his opponent's grasp, flew into the air, went tangible and fired four energy blasts in quick succession. The energy wasn't aimed at the older half-ghost himself but slammed into the ground around him. The impact threw debris into the air and blinded his adversary momentarily.

While the duplicate's vision was shrouded - and struggling to get onto his feet - Danny dived into the lake, causing the original Plasmius to look on in confusion. Within seconds Danny emerged in front of the duplicate. The duplicate cried out in frustration as he rose to his feet. He charged his fist with ecto-energy and smashed it into the ground where Danny stood. The teen went intangible, phased through his enemy and willed himself solid behind him. A furious scream filled the air as the duplicate was blasted in his back a second time.

The duplicate cursed the young halfa under his breath. He created another sword and infused it with his ecto-energy. He spun around and struck at his rival. Danny's ghostly form briefly split around the middle as the weapon went through him. The boy then charged an ecto-blast and released it just before the duplicate could strike again. In a flash of green light his enemy was thrown backwards. He landed on his back and slid several yards until he reached the original Plasmius, who knelt down and stopped him with his hands.

Juukka lunged at Skulker. The hunter evaded the lunge, another slash, a second lunge, and finally managed to fly into the air. The animal ghost looked up and shot several beams from his eyes at his enemy. Skulker accelerated and avoided the first volley but was hit in the back by the third attack, damaging one of his rockets. SKulker spiralled downwards and crashed into the dark water of the lake. Juukka jumped after him.

The original Plasmius looked at his unconscious duplicate. "I can't believe this, Daniel is winning," he murmured. He took a breath and calmed himself before absorbing his clone. Danny landed before him. Plasmius simply stood up and chuckled.

"Well done, Daniel. But now that I'm whole again, the real battle is about to begin."

Danny sighed as he put his hands on the small of his back, stretching a little. "This is really getting old." He spread out his arms in front of him. "Will you wake up already! You've lost, Vlad. What do I have to do to get through that thick skull of yours?"

Nothing, because I haven't lost yet," he said seriously, taking on a fighting stance. "I'll show you how my experience and skills are still superior to those new powers of yours."

Danny chuckled happily as he crossed his arms.

Plasmius looked surprised as well as slightly annoyed. "Care to tell me what's so funny, Daniel?"

"Yeah, that so called 'experience' is what's funny, because that isn't going to cut it this time, Plasmius." Smiling, Danny moved his hand through his hair. "As for the battle, it hasn't just begun, it's already over."

This time it was Plasmius' turn to laugh, although it didn't came out as confident as he had hoped it would. In fact, he scolded himself silently as he believed the teen had picked up on his uncertainty. "Surely you must be joking! You'd wish the battle was over." Grinning evilly, he added, "You really shouldn't underestimate me like that, my dear boy."

Danny chuckled and stepped closer. The boy couldn't help but smile a little at seeing the confusion in the man's eyes. "Well, you shouldn't underestimate me either. If you didn't, you would have known by now."

"Known what?" The half-ghost said irritably.

"Haven't you noticed something?"

"Noticed wha—?" Suddenly Plasmius could feel it.  _No, he wouldn't._  As he turned around his irritation changed into shock as he saw another smiling Danny who had been standing behind him. "You... You duplicated yourself," he stammered in disbelief.

The other Danny, whom Plasmius had turned his back to, responded, "Yep, but now you're looking at the original. I'm the duplicate."

"But how? When?"

The original replied. "After I dived in the lake."

He still couldn't believe it.  _Daniel mastered duplication._  When did you learn...?"

Neither Danny replied. Instead, the original one fired an ecto-blast that exploded just in front of Plasmius' dumbfounded face.

"Aargh!" He stumbled backwards, covering his blinded eyes.

Both Danny's rushed towards Plasmius. Before the older half-ghost could react, the original Danny had placed his hands on the man's chest while the duplicate had placed both hands on his back.

"What are you two—?"

He felt a deep, paralyzing, almost agonizing chill spread throughout his body. "You'll regret this—" The ice covered his face and captured Plasmius' shock and surprise in a moment of silence.

With a satisfied smile, the two Dannys stepped back. The duplicate flew towards the original Danny and landed directly next to him. They gave each other a high five before giving the frozen Plasmius another look.

The duplicate gave the other Danny a nudge and said playfully, "How much time do you think he needs to get out? I'll bet ten seconds or less."

"Nah," the other Danny replied, "you're giving fruit loop over there too much credit. I'd say fifteen seconds or more."

"Deal," the duplicate said. "I'll count."

"Fine with me."

The duplicate raised his left hand and started counting on his fingers. "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississipi, four Mississippi, five Mississippi," he switched to his other hand, "six Mississippi, seven—"

Suddenly the glow in Plasmius' eyes intensified. A large crack formed at his feet which quickly travelled upwards. The crack split the ice block in half. Two hands emerged and pushed the halves apart.

The duplicate looked at the original Danny with a smug expression. "I win."

"Awww," the original said playfully. A green glow formed over the duplicate, he jumped in the air and flew into the original's body, merging the two Dannys together again.

His smile faded. "It's now or never," the teen muttered, seeing that a steaming Plasmius had almost freed himself. He took a deep breath and released his most powerful weapon: the Ghostly Wail.

Enraged, Plasmius shattered the remaining ice into pieces with his energy. "I've had enough of this! I'll—" The wail enveloped him.

"No! Nooo!" He used his hands to shield himself from the waves. He stumbled and was pushed backwards, but still desperately tried to keep his balance. He tried to will himself intangible, but the energy of the wail had already penetrated his ghost core and disrupted his focus.

Danny did his best to limit the size of his attack, trying to prevent any damage to the buildings to his right and the streetlights at the waterfront to his left.

It became harder and harder for Plasmius to resist the intensifying wail. The waves of energy kept increasing in both frequency and power, finally lifting him up and blowing him away. Realizing he had lost, Plasmius gave up struggling any further and surrendered his body to Daniel's attack. He could feel the boy's ghostly wail tearing up his remaining energy and he resigned himself to his fate. The wail threw him on the ground, and a painful jolt ran through his spine. He groaned helplessly as the force of the wail kept pushing him further, tearing and staining his once pristine white suit.

Danny finally halted his attack. A wave of dizziness set over him; he fell to his hands and knees and tried to avoid dropping face down on the ground. Panting heavily, he lifted his head to see what he had accomplished. Plasmius was lying on his back in the distance, motionless. And aside for a few fallen stacks of boxes and crates, he had succeeded in keeping everything else undamaged.

"I did it," he said with a weary smile. "I really did it."

After taking a few breaths he felt stronger. He carefully focused the remaining energy inside of him and slowly drifted towards his nemesis.

He cautiously landed next to Plasmius. The man's eyes were closed, and his head was slightly turned to the left. Danny assumed Vlad was unconscious, but not wanting to take any risk he took a step back. The boy took in the condition of his archenemy with mixed feelings; while they had battled each other many times he couldn't remember a moment when Plasmius had ended up this hurt. Ectoplasm dripped from the edges of his mouth, his white suit was torn and burned, green stains were visible on parts of his body— originating from wounds and injuries underneath his clothing. Danny knew he shouldn't care about the condition of his worst enemy, but he felt uncomfortable seeing him like this. And as much as he tried, he couldn't suppress a pang of pity.

He was feeling sorry for him.

"Let me go. I can get out on my own, you know."

Danny looked in the direction of the lake where the voice came from. He walked along the wharf, looking and listening cautiously. Suddenly, a few yards away from him, an armored hand grabbed the edge of the brick lake wall. He recognized Juukka's claws immediately. Quickly closing the distance, he could see how Juukka was trying to pull himself up. Much to Danny's surprise, he was holding Skulker, allowing the hunter to lean on his shoulder.

Danny went down on one knee and grasped Juukka's hand, intending to pull him up. The animal ghost glanced at Skulker, who was looking considerably annoyed but didn't say anything. Juukka then nodded in Danny's direction and the teen knew what he meant.

Danny grabbed Skulker by his shoulders, then lifted him into the air while Juukka let go. He laid Skulker down on the ground, and noticed from the corner of his eye that the ghost had climbed out of the water. He wondered why Juukka didn't just fly, but then realized he had never seen him use that ability.

"What a humiliation, to be rescued by my very own prey."

Danny shot an irritated glare at Skulker, who was now sitting up. "Instead of complaining you could thank him, you know."

The hunter shot a glare back, "You know as well as I do that I was perfectly able to get out on my own, I didn't need any help."

"Yeah, but he didn't know that. And it's the thought that counts, right?"

The hunter considered Phantom's words for a moment before grinning slightly. "I guess it is, whelp." He then looked at Juukka, who was now standing on all fours trying to shake off the water. Skulker's words sounded surprisingly honest and earned him a confused look from the young halfa.

"Really? I thought that you—"

"You thought that I would use this opportunity to attack him, right?"

Danny didn't reply, but gave a slight nod.

The hunter chuckled. "If I wanted to, his head would be hanging on my wall before sunrise." His expression lit up with a grin of anticipation. "He wouldn't stand a chance."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Sure, in your dreams."

Skulker glared at the boy, "There's also enough room for the head of a certain ghost child I know."

"Oh yeah?" Danny retorted with a scowl, "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you." He placed his hand absentmindedly on his neck, while looking at Skulker in slight discomfort.

Still sitting on the ground, the hunter pulled up his left leg and let his left arm rest on it. He continued to gaze at the animal ghost who was now wringing excess water out of his ears.

After a moment of silence, Danny slightly raising his hands in front of him. "Hold on, you just said 'if I wanted to.' Does that mean you aren't interested in capturing him now?"

Skulker lifted himself to his feet and checked his onboard computer, giving the impression that he was ignoring the question. However, before Phantom could react, the hunter answered. "Yes. Even if I could, I would not capture him now."

The teen raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is that because he pulled you out of the lake?"

Skulker shrugged off-handedly and replied, "To some extent. I can't think of any prey that would have even bothered to rescue me if my life was threatened." He glanced at the teen, his voice earnest. "Except for you, ghost child."

Danny looked up in surprise, but didn't reply, giving the hunter a nod instead.

"Though you may think otherwise, I  _am_  a ghost of honor. I know when it's the right time to hunt and when it is not. Although I did not need it, that creature assisted me, and because of that  _this_  hunt is over. It would be dishonorable to attack my prey after what he did for me. As a hunter I acknowledge his strength, but it also serves as good knowledge."

Skulker flashed a predatory grin towards Juukka before looking back at Phantom. "I look forward to my next hunt with him. But rest assured, I  _will_  be better prepared for it."

Danny frowned, but whatever he planned on saying was forgotten when he saw Skulker look over towards Plasmius. "You know, ghost child... In a way, I'm glad Plasmius failed in capturing him."

The hunter then looked at Phantom, placed his right hand on the boy's head and pushed it down slightly. The gesture - although a bit painful - was done in a playful manner, so instead of retaliating the ghost teen allowed it.

"Hey!" Danny protested, "What's the big idea?"

Skulker chuckled. "Perhaps having you interfere was best. You did good whelp. Now I have  _two_  worthy preys to hunt down. I truly look forward to my next hunt with you as well."

Danny's annoyance was replaced by a confused expression as the hunter withdrew his hand. But the half-ghost then dismissed it with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, me too," he replied sarcastically. "It's always great fun to have missiles and nets thrown at me. Oh, but the best part is when you're about to slice my head off with that blade of yours."

Skulker laughed heartily. "Admit it, ghost child, deep down you know our hunts benefit both of us."

"Whatever, dude. Only you'd think anyone enjoys getting shot at." But inside, Danny knew the hunter did have a point. His fights with Skulker kept them  _both_  conditioned. His battles with all his enemies was what made him stronger… but he wasn't about to openly admit that to one of his more formidable opponents.

Both Danny and Skulker turned towards Juukka, who was now moving in their direction. Little drops of water on his armor glittered in the streetlights, his eyes were half-open, showing he was tired. He only made small steps, his eyes vulnerable, and gazed at both Danny and Skulker with uncertainty. Still keeping some distance, he sat down on his hind legs, and then nervously began to fiddle with his ears.

The young halfa couldn't help but smile a little. It was obvious Juukka wanted to interact, but was afraid to make the first move. His smile faded, and honestly he couldn't blame this ghost after all Plasmius and Skulker had done to him.

Danny was the one to break the silence. "How are you feeling? Is everything okay?"

Juukka closed his eyes and nodded. He understood.

Danny tilted his head a bit, trying to get a look at Juukka's back, especially where his tail had been. The animal ghost noticed what the ghost teen was trying to do, and he turned around to give him a better view.

"Oh man," Danny said as he inspected the stump, which gave off a faint glow. He also glanced at a vertical, glowing wound on his back which was already beginning to close. "I'm sorry about your tail, I—"

Skulker interrupted him. "Don't worry about his tail; he has regenerative powers. In a few weeks a new tail will be grown in its place."

"It will?" The boy looked back at Juukka as if looking for a confirmation. The creature nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that," Danny said with a smile. "When I saw how Plas—Plasmius!"

Danny turned around. Plasmius was already standing. He was panting, sweat was rolling down his face and dripping onto the ground; his body was trembling and hunched forward, his hands were on his knees. He was staring at them. His angry glare faltered, and as the realization of his failure sank in, pain and loss washed over his features.

Again Danny felt sorry for him, but it couldn't be helped.

The older hybrid continued to stare at them for what felt like an eternity. His expression had become unreadable. Danny began to feel uneasy but no one seemed willing to break the awkward silence. To everyone's surprise Plasmius suddenly smirked, stood up straight and pushed his cape back. For some reason the man seemed reinvigorated, he flashed a confident grin towards Danny, flew into the air and disappeared behind the warehouse.

"Plasmius!" Danny took off as well. Skulker followed behind, while Juukka made himself intangible and phased through the wall of that same warehouse.

After landing on the other side of the warehouse, Danny sprinted several yards before halting. He looked in all directions but couldn't spot Plasmius anywhere. Skulker landed behind him and Juukka phased out of the building.

"I don't get it," Danny said. "Where did he go?"

A scream pierced the silence. Danny, Juukka and Skulker ran towards an alley to their left, two buildings further down the street. As they reached the alley, they could see someone coming out, staggering on his feet, clutching his left arm. It was a man dressed in a formal but torn black suit, his hands and face covered with small cuts and bruises.

Danny gasped. "Vlad."

"Please... help me."

* * *

 


	7. A hunter and his prey

 

"Help me."

Danny stared in disbelief.  _I can't believe that guy. He failed as a ghost, so he's going to try again as a human?_

"Somebody, please help me," the man pleaded again. He lost his balance and fell backwards. Juukka rushed forward, positioning himself behind the human and catching him before carefully laying him on his back. The creature then sat down next to him. Vlad gave a grateful smile. "Thank you."

The animal ghost tilted his head slightly to the left and gave him a surprised look. He put a hand on his chest while making a strange noise. It had a higher pitch at the end, almost sounding like a question.

_He's probably wondering why I, as a human, am not afraid of him._

Danny stepped forward, but before he could say anything Skulker covered his mouth, then made them both intangible and invisible before disappearing into the ground. Hearing a muffled cry, Juukka looked to his left, but the hunter and Danny were already gone.

Knowing he needed to keep the ghost's attention directed at himself, Vlad placed a hand on Juukka's wrist. The creature turned and glanced at the hand touching him before looking up with uncertainty, but also a hint of curiosity.

"Please listen," Vlad began, pulling his hand back. "If you just asked why I'm not afraid I can explain— if you can understand me that is. You see," he placed a hand on his own chest. "My name is Vlad Masters and I'm the mayor of this fair city."  _A backward dump is more like it._  "It's my duty to protect this city and its people from ghosts. So I've been quite familiar with your kind for some time now."

Juukka's posture changed, he leaned back slightly, somewhat uncomfortable at hearing the man's words.

Vlad smiled reassuringly. "Oh, you don't have to worry, my friend. I have a lot of experience in dealing with ghosts and I can already tell that I have nothing to fear from you. You're a good ghost."

Juukka scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to react to what this human just said. He stood up, putting one hand on his neck while gazing around.

Vlad smiled inwardly. His ally had once again proven to be invaluable.  _Well done, Skulker. By keeping Daniel occupied I might still have a chance._ He observed the animal ghost, who was walking nervously around him, looking for a sign of the missing teen. Vlad's mind went through a list of options. He needed to resolve this situation in a way that would give him an advantage.

 _Although Daniel interrupted the transfer, a part of my energy is still within that ghost. If what I've learned about him is true, the presence of my energy should make him more susceptible to my suggestions. But_ _will it be enough?_

The billionaire frowned.  _His energy levels are still too high. I need someone who will be able to weaken him, if only for a while._ His eyes widened.  _Daniel!_  Realizing that Juukka was about to run away to search for the ghost boy, Vlad knew what he had to do.

He cleared his throat. "Wait!"

The creature turned around.

"There is something you need to know."

_I hope you're ready, Daniel._

Juukka tilted his head slightly.

_Because I'm not done with you yet._

* * *

"Hey, let go of me! What do you think you're doing!?" Skulker and Danny had reappeared from the ground and were no longer intangible. Danny had finally managed to pry Skulker's hand away from his mouth but he was still held in a firm lock by the hunter. Noticing Skulker remained silent the teen turned intangible and slipped out of his opponent's grasp. Danny quickly looked around and realized he was now pretty far away from Vlad and Juukka. They were above the lake, at some distance from the industrial waterfront, but closer to the police boats patrolling the area.

Skulker grinned, but gave the boy a moment to take in his surroundings. "I expected you to do that, whelp." The hunter aimed at his target and shot out a green grappling hook attached to a rope.

Danny, still intangible, didn't even bother to dodge. He chuckled. "Really, Skulker? There's no way that will—hey!" The teen looked at his ankle in shock; a hook was now looped around it. "H-how...?"

Now it was Skulker's turn to chuckle. The rope was attached to a small circular device on his right arm; one of the three LED's on the device blinked. He pressed a small button to cut off the rope and then held it with his left hand. "Wouldn't  _you_  like to know?" The hunter quipped, grinning broadly. "You may still appear to be intangible, but the effects are cancelled out."

Skulker reached behind his back, revealing a small gun with a green, square reservoir underneath it. "How about we conduct a little experiment?" He aimed it directly at the teen, who's eyes widened in panic.

Danny swallowed nervously, scolding himself for underestimating his opponent, especially someone like Skulker. He raised his hands in front of him, "Skulker, wait! You don't want to do this."

The ghost hunter smiled in amusement. "No,  _you_  don't want me to do this."

That caught Danny off-guard. "Well, yeah—Hmmph!" Skulker fired, and a blob of slime attached itself to the boy's mouth. The substance emitted tingling pulses, disrupting his focus on keeping up his intangible form and reverting him back to his solid ghost body.

Skulker smirked as he put the weapon in its compartment on his back, "What's the matter, whelp? No more witty banter?" Danny was now glaring at him, but he could also see a hint of relief in his eyes.  _I could have finished him off at that moment, and I think the ghost child realizes this too. But I've no intention of killing my most valuable prize so easily…_

"That Juukka creature was immune to this, probably because of his connection to the Ancients." The hunter chuckled. "But it seems to work just fine on you though. You'll soon notice intangibility is not the only power that has been cancelled."

Looking satisfied, Skulker activated the remaining rocket on his back. He briefly checked his computer to confirm that the suit had indeed stabilized his rocket pack. If not, he would end up in an uncontrollable spiral just as when Juukka had shot him out of the sky. Reassured by the readings he turned his attention towards the teen, who was now trying to get rid of the tough substance around his mouth.

Holding the rope firmly in his hands, the hunter suddenly shot higher into the air and dragged the boy along with him. He accelerated and began to spin around.  _Let's see if you can get out of this one, whelp._  He then let go of the rope and watched how Phantom disappeared into the lake.

Danny slammed so hard into the water that his vision darkened for a few moments. He gritted his teeth, and broke through his stupor by forcing out a wave of energy from his ghost core to every part of his body. With his mind beginning to clear and the feeling in his body returning he swung around, shot out of the water and charged at the hunter. He felt the disrupting pulses from the slime weakening.

Skulker's eyes widened. He had expected the ghost child to escape his predicament but not at this speed. Once again he had underestimated his quarry.

"How—?"

Danny slammed his fist into Skulker's face. The young half-ghost then landed on his chest and clenched the mask of his opponent with his left hand.

"What do you think you're doing, whelp!?"

In response, he grabbed the boy's sides in an attempt to throw him off. The strain clear on his face, Danny summoned a blue aura around his body and froze the hunter's hands in place. Skulker growled. How could the whelp still use his ice power?

Danny formed an ice shard in his right hand; part of it crumbled almost immediately, but it was enough to cut the rope attached to his ankle. With a grimace he sent a wave of cold energy through his left arm which spread across Skulker's head. The little ghost inside cried out in panic as a thick layer of ice blinded his vision. The teen froze the gooey substance around his mouth and pulled it off, then made himself briefly intangible to get out of his frozen hold.

However, Skulker wasn't planning to let his prey go this easily. The little blob within the metallic head quickly typed in several commands. The suit radiated a green glow which melted the ice in seconds. With his now freed hands and thawed mask, Skulker shot out another rope which looped around Danny's ankle again. The hunter smirked as he gave it a good yank.

"Aahhh!" Danny was pulled back. His initial surprise quickly turned into anger, and he shot the hunter a warning glare, his eyes glowing menacingly. "I don't have time for this, Skulker."

Skulker glared back. "This isn't over yet, ghost child. If you want to confront my employer, you'll have to go through me first."

"Oh come on!" Danny said while spreading out his arms. "You said earlier you were happy that Plasmius didn't succeed in capturing that ghost. Well, I've got news for you. He's going to succeed after all if I don't get back."

The hunter frowned but then raised his right arm, activating his laser cannon. "That might be true." He paused for a moment. "But letting you go without a fight means I would betray an ally. And as I also said earlier, I'm a ghost of honor."

Danny groaned. "Fine, if that's the way you want it." His expression darkened. "But I'm warning you, I'm not playing games this time."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," the hunter quipped with a smile. He fired.

Danny dived to his right and narrowly avoided the laser beam. He created an ice shard and cut the rope around his ankle, which was followed by a cartwheel as he dodged another blast. Changing his legs into a spectral tail, he flew in a spiralling motion, effortlessly dodging the incoming laser fire. Charging his fists, the teen lunged at the ghost hunter who barely avoided his attack. Skulker retaliated by unleashing a volley of missiles. Danny dived down, went intangible, positioned himself below his opponent and then shot upwards as fast as he could.

Going tangible at the last moment and charging his hand with ecto-energy, he slammed his fist into the hunter's midsection and pushed him back, the intense sound of wrenching metal clearly indicating the force behind the halfa's blow.

"Good, but not good enough." The hunter grinned as he grabbed Danny with both hands, squeezing his chest in a vice grip. The teen gasped and his ghostly tail morphed back into his legs. The halfa grabbed the hunter's chin with his left hand and began pushing it upwards with all the strength he had, using his feet as leverage against Skulker's metallic chest. At hearing wires snap Skulker realized his head could come off at any moment. Even worse, he was shocked to find out the right leg of his suit was no longer responding to his commands.

"Not going to happen, whelp!" He grabbed the boy's hand and tried to pry it off. They both struggled in the air until Skulker finally managed to push Danny's hand back and break away from his hold. However, at that moment the teen fired a blast at his face.

Shocked at what had happened, the hunter let go and Danny drifted backwards as he observed the damage. His mouth fell open, did he go too far this time? The blast had blown away the top of Skulker's head. He could even see the little blob sitting behind a control panel.

Skulker felt at his broken mask in disbelief. "You. YOU!" The voice was now squeaky and high-pitched. "What have you done!?"

Danny sighed inwardly with relief that the little ghost was okay. He put his hands on his hips, slightly tilted his head, and looked seriously at his opponent. "I told you I wasn't playing games this time." His expression softened and he sighed while combing his right hand through his white hair. "Look, don't you think this has gone far enough? Just let me go to Plasmius and we call it a draw." He gave a sincere smile as he extended his hand towards the ghost hunter. "What do you say? Deal?"

Skulker didn't reply. He ignited his blade instead.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Alright, your choice."

The hunter dashed forward and made a swipe with his blade. Danny quickly flew above the ghost, dived down and delivered a massive kick to his back, propelling him downward. He swooped down, landed on his back and ripped out the remaining rocket pack. He could hear the little ghost inside scream. Danny then grabbed Skulker by his leg, dragging him to the wharf before throwing him into a large garbage container placed against a wall. The teen landed beside it, and as soon as the hunter's disfigured head emerged from the garbage he grabbed it with both hands.

"No, stop! You can't do this!" The little blob desperately pushed several buttons but the suit wasn't responding anymore. Danny didn't reply; he climbed on the edge of the container and placed his right foot on Skulker's shoulder. With loud cracking and snapping sounds the metal head tore loose. He jumped to the ground and glared at the little ghost through the opening of his head. Turning the head upside down, Danny stuck his hand inside and pulled out the wildly struggling green blob.

"I'll get you for this! I'm the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone. I'll..." He stopped and winced as he noticed the boy's angry glare. After a few tense moments Danny's expression softened, and the teen let out a friendly chuckle. Placing Skulker carefully on the edge of the dumpster he then turned around and walked away.

Overcoming his initial surprise the little ghost continued with his angry tirade. With his back turned, Danny only raised his right hand and waved in response, before flying into the air. He looked down with a smile, knowing very well that next time they met, Skulker would definitely be stronger and even more motivated than before. He was almost looking forward to it. Almost.

His expression darkened as he realized that his problems weren't over yet. There was still Vlad he had to deal with. Danny changed his lower body into a spectral tail, increased his speed and flew as fast as he possibly could.


	8. Vlad's trump card

**We're getting closer to the ending. Thank you all so much for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

 

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe," Vlad said, "But as elected mayor of Amity Park I assure you it's the truth." Juukka had lowered his head, an unreadable expression had settled in his eyes. An uneasy silence hung in the air, which was interrupted as someone landed in front of them.

_Ah Daniel, you're just in time._

Both Vlad and Juukka were sitting on the ground, with Vlad leaning against the wall of a storage depot in an alley. Danny noticed that the animal ghost was looking at him strangely before turning away. Shrugging it off he turned his attention to Masters who was looking at him smugly. Growing irritated, the boy stepped closer, crossed his arms and glared.

" _Mr. Mayor_ ," Danny said, his tone of voice was lined with bitter sarcasm. "What happened to you? What are you doing here at this time of night?"

Vlad frowned momentarily at the boy, but then his expression changed into a knowing smirk. "Why should I explain myself to you?" he replied defiantly, earning him a surprised look from the teen. He was taking a risk, but it was also his last chance. And he was not going to miss it.

_My destiny awaits._

He shot Danny a hostile glare. "You  _are_  Amity Park's Public Ghost Enemy Number One! I'm not going to tell you anything!"

"W-what?"

"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you were in league with that ghost who did this to me!"

"Ghost?" Danny struggled for words. "What are you...?"

 _I caught him off-guard._  Vlad tried to stand up but pretended his legs were still weak. Seeing this, Juukka stepped behind the man and prevented him from falling backwards, then carefully lowered him to the ground.

Vlad had been able to inject half of his own energy into Juukka's ghost core before Daniel intervened earlier that night. It was not enough to take control of him, but it was already showing some useful results. Vlad's ghost energy inside that creature was now preventing it from sensing his ghost half. Without this energy Juukka would have certainly seen through his subterfuge. It was also making the ghost more sympathetic towards him.

Which was crucial for what he was about to do.

Vlad fixed his young rival with an intense stare, "Yes, I was kidnapped, kidnapped from my very own office. An evil ghost wanted to take revenge for my anti-ghost policies, which have made Amity Park so much safer." He turned to Juukka and looked at him sadly. "That ghost tried to kill me but I managed to escape." Vlad buried his face in his hands, his voice now emotional. "I-I don't know how I escaped, but it was such a horrible experience." He looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder. The animal ghost was now gazing at him with an understanding look.

Danny composed himself. "Juukka, what he's telling you is all a big lie!"

The creature looked up.

"You've got to believe me! He hasn't been kidnapped, he— _"_

"How dare you! Don't even try spreading your lies! I've told this ghost everything about you. He knows how evil you really are!"

"What!?"

"Yes!" Vlad looked at the astounded teen while gesturing at Juukka. "I've told him that  _you_ , Danny Phantom, are the most dangerous ghost we ever had in Amity Park. That you are the biggest threat to our fair city!"

Danny felt himself tremble. He clenched his fists, a green glow appearing around them. "You liar—"

Vlad continued.  _"_ I've been fighting him since the first day I became mayor. He's been terrorizing the people of Amity Park for almost two years now!"

Noticing the odd look Juukka was giving him Danny quickly absorbed the energy back into his hands. "Don't listen to him! He's not who he appears to be. He's the same person who has hunted you all this time. He's—"

"The most feared ghost fighter _and_  best mayor this city has ever had!"

Danny cringed, this sounded all too familiar.

_Plasmius._

Everyone looked up to the sky, and there he was. Floating calmly with his arms crossed, sporting a confident grin, one eyebrow slightly raised. He flew to their right and landed a few yards away from them. Juukka's attention was immediately drawn and he turned his back to Danny and Vlad.

_No, not again._

The young half-ghost found himself unable to control himself any longer. "You ugly, lying piece of—!" His eyes now glowing menacingly, he dashed forward and grabbed Vlad by his collar.

"How could you!?"

Vlad showed a triumphant grin.

"Check and mate, Daniel."

"You..."

Letting out a chuckle, Vlad looked at Juukka who still had his back turned. "Be very careful of that powerful, yet devastatingly handsome, ghost over there! He's almost as dangerous as Danny Phantom and they have been known to work together on many occasions."

The creature swung around.

"N-No! He's lying! We've been enemies since the first time we met." It didn't came out as confident as he intended to. He abruptly realized what it must look like to Juukka, seeing him holding Vlad by the collar, and he quickly let go.

Vlad grinned inwardly. The energy he had injected inside Juukka was working better than expected. That creature was even more susceptible to his suggestions than he could have hoped for.  _If I play this right, I can steer this ghost in any direction I want._

"Daniel, I feel so hurt." Plasmius sneered from above. "Are you suddenly pretending you had nothing to do with our plans?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Plasmius," the boy growled.

"Oh yes, you know," the duplicate continued in a mocking tone. His grin widened. "Don't you remember? I had to pretend that I was hunting him so you could present yourself as his savior. Just as you pretended I overshadowed you. We would break this creature's spirit and share his power together." Clearly amused, he tilted his head slightly. "But then you wanted it all for yourself and betrayed me."

The duplicate chuckled. "I'm proud of you, my dear boy. So young and yet already so devious." He flashed a cruel smirk towards Juukka. "Poor thing. You really thought either of us wanted to be your friend?"

Danny was shaking. His teeth were clenched, the white of his eyes consumed in a furious green blaze, his hands brimming with energy. "Vlad, I swear, if you don't shut up now I'm—"

Juukka had turned away from everyone. He was staring at the ground, and he began to growl ominously.

Vlad frowned.  _He's close to breaking point._ He glanced at Danny.  _The boy only needs to lose his composure one more time._

Danny's voice was raised, slightly quivering and there was an edge to it. "Listen to me please! They're lying! I want to be your friend, I swear—"

"Oh please, Danny Phantom," Vlad interrupted. "This good ghost has already seen your true evil intentions. Although I never believed even you would do something so despicable."

The boy exploded.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Danny lunged, grabbed his archenemy by the collar and lifted him up.

"Enough of your lies! If everyone only knew! If they only knew what kind of person you really are!"

A look of panic spread across Vlad's features. He grabbed Danny's hands, trying to pry them off. "P-please let go. Y-you're hurting me."

"Oh, come on! Drop the act already, Vlad!"

Someone grabbed his arm.

Danny's anger turned into shock.

"Wait, you don't understand! He's—"

Juukka hurled him into the air. He unleashed a lightning bolt from his helmet which hit Danny full force. Vlad looked on in surprise as a dazed Daniel limply fell head-first towards the ground. The ghost charged his hand and blasted the teen into a truck.

Danny cried out in agony; he curled up as he fought the pain within his body. He opened his eyes, and while his vision was blurry, he could see Juukka standing on his back legs some distance away. The ghost had taken up position between him and Vlad.

Juukka didn't seem in a hurry to make another move, and Danny gratefully used this moment to focus his energy and to recover. He stood up and clenched his right shoulder; a small stream of ectoplasm was leaking from a wound.

Danny had reached the limits of his patience; he was so sick of  _everything_  right now. His voice cracked with frustration and a hint of barely controlled anger. "Would you listen to me!? I'm not your enemy, Vlad is—"

"Don't listen to him!" Vlad yelled from behind the animal ghost. "He's trying to talk himself out of this, but he's lying, like he always does."

Danny flashed his eyes. "Shut up, V—" Juukka fired. Danny fired his own blast to counter it, and shot into the air as the attacks collided and exploded underneath him.

Juukka fired another blast, raised his hand and made a waving gesture. The swirling mass of energy headed into the air.

"Oh no!" The teen shot higher into the air, but he was too late as the guided ecto-blast caught up with him and exploded on his back, sending the disoriented halfa in a downwards spiral. Danny stabilized himself a few yards above the ground. With a painful grimace he rose higher and frantically searched for Juukka's position. His eyes widened in shock as he realized where the ghost was coming from. Juukka converged on him from behind, launched itself into the air and blasted the boy in his back. The young halfa screamed in agony as he plunged into the ground below.

Vlad was watching the fight with a growing sense of unease. Juukka reacted just as he had predicted, but he hadn't expected the ghost to react this strongly. Vlad's energy was what had made Juukka believe his story. An invisible connection between him and this ghost had already been established, and it was manipulating Juukka without the creature even realizing it.

Yet Vlad felt worried. That ghost was now fighting to kill and he couldn't understand what had caused such an adverse reaction. He needed to observe this carefully.

Vlad was surprised when he realized he was feeling concern for Daniel's well-being. He pushed it away and convinced himself that Daniel had fought much worse ghosts before. He winced as he was reminded of Vortex, and he suddenly wondered why he still cared for the boy.

Juukka leaped towards Danny again. The teen barely avoided Juukka's fist as it slammed into the ground, the blow pulverizing the stones underneath. Danny got to his feet and shot into the air; his mouth fell open when he saw the gaping hole in the ground, but he snapped himself out of it.

The animal ghost pulled his fist out of the debris and saw his enemy swooping down, his eyes and hands radiating an intense blue glow; his body surrounded with a layer of cold, his expression set in a unforgiving glare. "Time for you to cool off!" Danny fired a massive ice blast and Juukka cried out in surprise as the swirling mass of chilling cold hit him at his feet, spread upwards, and imprisoned his body in seconds. He let out an agonizing wail that was abruptly silenced when his face was frozen as well. His glowing green eyes were locked in an expression of fear as they stared at the half-ghost above.

Danny observed the result of his attack as he landed. He hoped this would give him a little more time— time he needed to get the information he wanted out of Vlad. He turned and glared at his nemesis who was still hiding in the alley, and then flashed his blue eyes menacingly. The Plasmius duplicate stepped in front of his human half.

Danny felt a grim satisfaction at seeing Plasmius get in his way. He knew it was wrong but at this point he  _really_  wanted to blow off some steam. He clenched his fists and charged them until they were overflowing with cold energy.

A cracking sound came from behind. Danny spun around. Juukka had managed to free his head and one of his arms. With a vengeful howl and a burst of energy the ghost shattered the remaining ice into pieces.

Danny groaned. He was really beginning to regret not bringing a Thermos with him.

Juukka dropped on all fours. His eyes blazed with fury.

Danny focused his energy and clenched his fists. A green glow spread across his body. "Come on, come on." Despite duplicating himself earlier that night against Plasmius, he still had trouble controlling it. He groaned weakly as his aura intensified. The teen squeezed his eyes shut, his body now trembling. The fight against Plasmius had left him weakened, and he could feel a dull pain coming from his already overexerted ghost core as he mentally tried to shape his energy into three duplicates.

"Come on, work!"

Juukka slightly tilted his head at seeing the boy struggle. He was ready to lunge, but relaxed at the last moment. He lifted himself on his back legs and looked on, the anger in his eyes partially replaced with curiosity.

Danny's body flashed, and suddenly there were three more. "Awesome!" They all said happily, all four raising an arm in the air. Juukka's initial curiosity quickly changed into visible anxiety

The duplicates rushed forward. The first one punched Juukka in the face; balancing himself from the hit the ghost staggered backwards. The second one came in from behind, Juukka spun around but was kicked in the chest; the ghost stumbled again. The third one came from above and blasted him to the ground.

Juukka was on his hands and knees; a look of disbelief etched on his features. With a frustrated growl he jumped to his feet, charged his hands and released an energy wave. The three duplicates flew into the air and dodged a volley of energy beams. The original Danny distracted Juukka by blasting him in his back, his duplicates then dived down, surrounded the ghost and retaliated. An unsettling howl filled the air as their attacks connected.

Danny merged with his duplicates and landed a few yards away from his opponent. Juukka was trembling on his legs, his arms hanging at his sides. He yelped weakly. His torso and limbs were covered in burn marks, small wisps raised into the air.

Danny took a deep breath and unleashed his Ghostly Wail. Juukka became overwhelmed and let out a haunting cry as he was thrown backwards. Danny halted his attack and fell to his knees. He was panting heavily. He felt weak, dizzy, nauseous, he felt a dull pain in his ghost core and his vision was blurred. It was the second time he had to use the wail this night and both his body and ghost core were not happy with him right now. But unlike with Plasmius he hadn't poured all of his energy into this one.

"I can't believe this." Vlad leaned around the corner of the alley, looking at Juukka's motionless body in the distance, which was lying close to a few cars on a parking lot. "Daniel appears to have achieved what we could not. He has beaten him."

"Impossible." the Plasmius duplicate clenched his fists in anger.

Vlad sighed inwardly. He didn't know if it was from exhaustion or exasperation, probably a combination of both. His plan had come full circle, but the results were… underwhelming. He and Skulker had weakened Juukka; it had not been enough to control him, yet it had been enough to give Daniel his victory. The man's expression hardened. It didn't matter, that ghost would recover soon enough and then he would still have his chance.

Vlad had made up his mind. His destiny was in his grasp; Juukka's power would still be his. When the ghost was sufficiently weakened by Daniel he would step in and complete the transfer of his own energy into Juukka's core. Vlad grinned with anticipation. Daniel would still be alive and that creature would finally be under his control.

Their ghostly energies would merge together with the completion of the transfer and the seal around Juukka's ghost core would be broken. Through the link between them, Juukka's core would share its power with Vlad's own. With Juukka's power no longer being restricted by the seal, the two of them would become the most powerful ghosts in existence.

Danny got up on his feet and turned towards Vlad and his clone. Not only was he completely sick and tired of fighting, but the fact that he still didn't have any answers made him even more frustrated. With a glare and glowing blue eyes he moved towards them. His hands were overflowing with blue and white energy, small pieces of ice and frost leaving a frozen trail.

A violent blue aura engulfed him. "Alright Vlad, I want answers and I want them now! I've had it with this game of yours and I've completely had it with YOU!"

Vlad peaked around the corner of the alley. Before Danny could react, the Plasmius duplicate dissipated and the man crawled out of the alley into the street, his face contorting in sudden fear.

"Help, help! Somebody help me!"

"What are you...? Juukka," Danny hissed.

He turned to his left and saw the ghost on his feet again. Vlad dragged himself along towards him. He stretched out his arm. His voice was filled with terror. "Please help me! He's going to kill me!"

Danny clenched his fists in utter frustration. If nothing else, he had to admit Vlad was an incredible actor. His frustration turned into a feeling of helplessness. The young halfa knew he shouldn't even bother trying to explain this. What was there left to explain? Vlad was begging for help and he was looming above him with an aura of cold energy swirling around his body.

Juukka lowered himself on all fours. Green transparent flames began to rise from his body and engulfed him inside a burning vortex. The ground began to shake and green lightning struck all around him. His aura exploded and his roar shattered the windows from nearby cars and buildings. The ghost slammed his right fist into the street, sending large cracks filled with green glowing energy in different directions. The largest one went around Vlad and directly for Danny, who was barely able to avoid it.

"No, no! Darn you, Vlad!"

Juukka shot Danny a vicious glare and ran towards him in a zig zag pattern; the teen fired several blasts but he dodged them all. Danny filled his hands with a cloud of intense cold and placed them on the ground, spreading a wave of ice in Juukka's direction, freezing everything in its path. At the last moment, Juukka leaped into the air, spun several times and then landed behind him.

Danny swung around, only to see the ghost's eyes flashing before two beams hit him in the chest. The boy screamed as the energy smashed him through the window of a packaging factory. He felt the glass cut into his skin. The beam then dissipated and released him from its grip. Danny fell to the cold floor, sliding several yards before his head smashed against the wall on the other side of the building.

"Such power." Yet, despite being impressed, Vlad couldn't help but feel worried for Daniel's well-being. He knew the teen was capable of withstanding powerful attacks, but this last one seemed particularly devastating. He saw Juukka jump through the broken window Daniel had been blasted through. The billionaire stood up and ran towards the factory. With the trust he had gained from that creature, surely he could convince him to stop... Vlad frowned, a worried look grew on his features.  _If not..._

The man shook his head.

_Let's not think about that now._

 


	9. Endgame

 Juukka jumped through the broken window, landing inside the packaging factory with the green flames around his body illuminating the interior in an eerie flickering glow. The young half-ghost was lying on the ground a few yards in front of him; his chest and limbs were covered with glowing scraps and cuts. There was a wound on his left shoulder that had a small stream of ectoplasm leaking out of it. At seeing the teen trying to get up, Juukka immediately leaped towards him. Danny made himself intangible and sunk through the floor, barely avoiding a swipe from Juukka's hand. Growling with irritation the animal ghost took a step back.

While glancing around, Juukka walked to the other side of the production hall, his flames continuing to cast the surroundings in a sinister glow. Danny emerged from the floor with glowing fists and gave the ghost a massive uppercut. Juukka yelped and staggered backwards. He balanced himself, ducked to avoid Danny's fist, circled around and blasted the teen into a pallet of cardboard boxes. He then jumped towards the ceiling and quickly dug the claws of his armored hands and feet into it.

Now hanging upside down, he fired a volley of ectobeams from his eyes and halted Danny's approach. With his enemy at a manageable distance his body flashed and there were two more. The duplicates let go of the ceiling, landed on all fours, went into a sprint, and took up position on either side of their target.

"This isn't good," Danny murmured.

Vlad reached the window and saw that Daniel was still fighting. The billionaire grinned slightly. The boy never ceased to surprise him. _Maybe I should let this battle run its course after all._

One of the Juukka duplicates charged an ecto-blast and launched himself at the teen. Danny managed to grab the duplicate's wrist, barely keeping the swirling mass of energy away from his face. He sent a wave of cold through its arm and then blasted the ghost into his comrade, causing both of the duplicates to slam into multiple stacks of crates, burying them entirely.

Danny looked up at the ceiling where the original Juukka still hung and shot into the air with his fists glowing. He readied himself to throw a punch when his head smacked against something hard.

"Ow!"

Before he could recover a disoriented Danny was hit by an eye beam that blasted him to the floor. He landed unceremoniously flat on his back.

He groaned and rubbed his head. "What was that?" He looked up again and saw to his surprise that Juukka had erected a barrier around himself. It was barely visible, except for a few glowing lines running through it. "Great," Danny muttered. "What else can he do? He's not hanging there for fun."

He then noticed a thick layer of green energy around Juukka's wrists. Danny was sure that hadn't been there moments ago. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to get a closer look. The two objects, almost like some kind of bracelets, were glowing and surrounded by small flames.

 _Weird._   _What are those things?_

His thoughts were interrupted by a growl coming from his left. Danny grimaced.  _Here we go again._  The two duplicates were standing again and had stretched out a hand towards each other, leaving only a small space between their palms.

Danny felt unease growing inside of him. A sphere of green ecto-energy formed between their hands, quickly growing in size. The teen's unease rapidly changed into panic as both duplicates charged at him in a zig zag pattern. Their speed changing their appearance into a blur while they carefully kept the ball of energy positioned between them.

The clones slammed their attack into Danny's barely formed ecto-shield. The boy cried out as he resisted with all he had, but his body was bordering on exhaustion and he didn't know how long he could hold.  _Think, Phantom, think!_  He desperately looked around to see if there was anything he could use.  _That lamp on the ceiling? No, wouldn't work. That thing is not hanging above them. Can't freeze it to make it fall._

Danny looked to his right.  _Those racks look heavy, but they are too far away. Darn it!_ Running out of ideas he looked down in frustration. He then noticed the armored and clawed feet of the duplicates sticking out underneath his cracking barrier. W _ait, that's it!_  With gritted teeth Danny focused some of his remaining energy and converted it into cold.  _Here goes!_  His eyes turned blue and he fired two beams at their feet.

The duplicates yelped in surprise as ice began to spread and their feet were encased. Within seconds the lower half of their bodies suffered the same fate, freezing them both into place. The energy blast pushing against Danny's barrier quickly dissolved.

Danny let out a sigh of relief as he relinquished his ecto-shield. He flew into the air, put his hands above his head and formed an orb of blue energy between them. He let the swirling mass of cold briefly rest in the palm of his hand before throwing it.

"You two aren't going anywhere!"

The duplicates had almost freed themselves when the blast slammed into the floor in front of their feet, freezing them both instantly in the thickest layer of ice yet. Their shocked and horrified expressions engraved in a moment of silence.

"And now it's your turn!" The teen looked at the original Juukka, surprised to see that the creature had withdrawn his barrier. Danny chuckled. "Wrong move."

Juukka pulled back his hands from the ceiling, causing him to fall backwards. His armored feet were still firmly locked, preventing him from falling to the ground. Seeing his enemy approaching, the animal ghost fired two energy blasts at his duplicates which both were surrounded with ghostly fire upon impact, starting to melt away the ice.

Just before Danny could land a hit, Juukka let go of the ceiling, grabbed the boy's feet and pulled him down. As soon as Juukka landed he slammed Danny face-first onto the floor, making the teen groan as the pain forced its way through his battered body.

Realizing the vulnerable position he was in, Danny gritted his teeth, pushed himself up, turned on his back and kicked the ghost in his chest, freeing himself from his grip. He then dashed past Juukka and ran towards the two duplicates who were almost thawed. Not planning on being outnumbered again, Danny halted halfway between them. He crossed his arms and charged his hands with energy, an intensifying green glow bathing a section of the production hall in an otherworldly light.

The orginal Juukka looked on in shock as the boy spread out his arms and blasted his clones away; the left one collided with his back against a packaging machine, while the other, still covered with ice on his chest, slammed into a pallet stacked with packaging material. Both Juukka duplicates groaned in pain, one with his back resting against the machine he slammed into; the other half-buried underneath boxes and crates.

Juukka growled in frustration, but then it changed into a nervous whine. There was a hint of fear in his trembling eyes as he seemed to realize his enemy could actually beat him. The visibly anxious ghost made a quick waving gesture with his hand. His clones changed into a floating mass of ectoplasm and merged with the original by entering the symbol on his chest, making it light up briefly.

Danny didn't let his opponent out of his sight. Although he felt relieved that he could fight one on one again, it did little to ease his worries. Suddenly his eyes shot wide open.  _Wait! The energy around his wrists. It's gone! Where did_ —

Two glowing rings emerged from the floor, one on either side of him. The rings moved down and locked themselves around Danny's wrists. His initial surprise turned into horror when his hands were cuffed together in front of him, the two rings merging to form a larger one. Phantom looked up at Juukka, confused at first, but then he smirked. "This isn't going to stop me, you know." He willed himself intangible and...

"AAAHHH!"

Danny was engulfed in a green glow. Lightning arced across his body and hit the floor around him. He fell to his knees, panting.  _That really hurt. What just happened?_ He flinched as he tried to move; his vision had become blurry but he could still see Juukka standing in the distance.  _Did he attack me?_   _No, he's still..._ He looked at the ring around his wrists. _Did this thing just do that?_ Carefully, Danny tried to gather a small amount of his energy; he stopped as a jolt of pain pierced his chest, making him wince.

"Great, just great," he murmured. "Now I can't even use my powers." He looked at Juukka again. The ghost was now slowly walking towards him. His glowing eyes held a menacing glare. Danny swallowed nervously.

Juukka went into a sprint.

"Wait!"

The ghost slammed into him and grabbed him around the waist. He took Danny off the floor, made them both intangible, and passed through the wall of the packaging factory. Outside, Juukka ran straight through Vlad, further down the street and then made a jump into the second floor of an office building to his right, still carrying Danny in his arms.

Vlad tried to transform into Plasmius but realized that his energy levels were too low.  _Blast! I have nothing left._ He looked worriedly at the building they had disappeared into.

* * *

Inside the building, Juukka left intangibility too quickly, causing both of them to slide across a pair of desks, knocking over several monitors. They fell to the floor and crashed head-first onto the carpet. Danny managed to escape Juukka's grasp and tried to get up but the animal ghost got to his feet first. He was about to grab the teen when a scream made them both cringe. A young woman was standing in the doorway, staring at the two in disbelief.

"Eh, hello there, citizen." Danny said nervously. He flinched as Juukka grabbed him by his shoulder, ignoring the frightened human. "Run! just get yourself to safety. Go!" The woman nodded, turned around and ran away.

With one hand firmly on the back of Danny's neck, Juukka placed the other one on Danny's chest while growling. Making both of them intangible he dashed through a wall with glass windows, sprinted down a dim hallway, and then entered an office room which was half the size of the last one. It was covered in darkness, slightly, yet eerily, illuminated by the moon shining outside the large window. There he threw Danny on a desk before jumping on it himself. The creature clutched Danny's chest and pushed him backwards until the back of the boy's head touched the glass of the window. The teen looked at the angry ghost standing above him, his helmet faintly illuminated by the moonlight.

 _I got to do something._ _If I can't use my normal powers... Maybe I can still use my ice—_ "

"AAAHH!"

His scream echoed through the corridors of the building. Danny grimaced.  _No, scratch that, won't work either._ Juukka, intensifying his grip, began to charge an ecto-blast in his other hand, causing Danny to look up in shock. "Wait! Don't do this. Vlad has been lying to you all this time. I'm not evil. I'm not a villain!"

The animal ghost slightly tilted his head and his expression softened, but a look of distrust still remained. Danny's heart sank.  _Who am I kidding? Of course he's not going to believe me._

The teen desperately looked around, hoping that there was something,  _anything_  that he could use.

**SMACK!**

Juukka let out a yelp when something hit him on the head. The lights went on. The ghost turned around and saw the same woman from before standing in front of him, holding a large broom in her hands. Danny looked at her in surprise. She was trembling but he could see the determination on her face.

Looking at the human with apprehension, Juukka absorbed the ecto-blast back into his hand.

"You get away from him! Leave him alone!"

**SMACK!**

The ghost yelped again as he was hit for a second time. He grabbed his head with both hands and rubbed the spot where he was hit. Juukka had his eyes clenched shut as if expecting to be hit again.

Danny overcame his initial surprise. "What are you doing!? Get out of here!"

The woman looked at him with resolve, "No, I'm not leaving you here."

Danny's eyes widened. "Why?"

A new voice replied. "Because you're our hero, that's why!" A man in a blue suit stormed into the room and hit a baffled Juukka in the face with a suitcase. The ghost yelped again. The woman poked the tip of the broom into Juukka's stomach and pushed him off the desk, making him land on the floor with a loud thud. She then pinned him into a corner.

He didn't fight back. His eyes darted towards Danny and back to the humans.

The man continued, "You've saved us so many times, Danny Phantom. Without you we wouldn't even be here right now. This is the least we can do."

Hearing these words Juukka looked back at the human in shock. His left eye twitched. Suddenly an older man came into the office carrying a fire extinguisher. He aimed the device at the animal ghost and activated it. Juukka let out a panicked cry, ran blindly across the room and crashed into a photocopier. He then frantically climbed onto the machine, turned intangible, jumped through the window and disappeared. The green ring binding Danny's hands dissolved.

The woman stepped forward, smiling timidly. "A-Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am." Danny answered gratefully. "Thank you for helping me. All of you."

"No problem," the man in the blue suit replied. He then gave Danny a thumbs up. "Now, go get that ghost. Show him what Danny Phantom is really made of!"

Danny smiled, "I will." With a shy grin he stood up. "Thanks again." He briefly looked at everyone in the room before turning intangible and flying out through the window. Feeling happy and revitalized he made several loops before diving towards the ground. His expression hardened as he realized he wasn't out of the woods just yet.

"Vlad."

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" Vlad asked as he took a step back in unease. Before him on all fours stood a ghost, a very angry ghost. Growling and with glowing eyes Juukka slowly moved closer.  _What in the blazes happened in there?_   _Why this hostility?_ An unsettling feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. His earlier relief when he had detected the boy's ecto-signature had changed into apprehension. _What did you do, Daniel?_ The billionaire put his hands together and tried to show a sincere smile. "I don't know what that evil Danny Phantom has told you, but you shouldn't believe anything—"

"Cut it out, Masters." A voice came from above him. "He already knows." Danny landed next to the ghost.

Vlad frowned as he crossed his arms. "Why? Because you told him so?"

The teen smiled. "No, because he heard it from the most reliable source there is. The people of Amity Park."

Vlad gasped as the realization dawned on him.  _No!_

Danny turned to the ghost next to him, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to find the right words. "Juukka..."

The ghost stared back, his eyes were filled with remorse. He hung his head in shame.

Juukka fell to his knees and bowed until his head was pressed to the ground.

"Listen," Danny started awkwardly after a moment of muted surprise, "You don't have to do this. If anyone should apologize," the boy's expression hardened as he looked past the kneeling ghost, "It's Vlad over there."

An uneasy tension filled the air. Vlad had put his hands behind his back and countered Danny's scowl with a glare of his own. Both half-ghosts flashed their eyes as a warning to each other.

Juukka rose to his feet and turned away. Suddenly, a beam of light shot out of the emblem on his chest, reformed itself into a rotating mass of energy in front of him, and then expanded into a doorway. Danny gasped when he could see the Ghost Zone on the other side.  _He can create his own portals?_ It reminded him immediately of his friend Wulf. There were a number of moving and glowing symbols floating around it, each one changing color constantly.

Vlad clenched his fists. The ghost he had been chasing this entire night was about to escape from his grasp, and there was nothing he could do about it. All his effort, all the resources and time he had spend on this disaster, wasted. It seemed Skulker was correct in his theory that this ghost had to recharge before being able to jump between their worlds. But it didn't matter anymore. It was over.

Juukka partially turned towards Vlad and shot him a glare.

Vlad winced, but he composed himself.

Juukka's expression softened, and this time his gaze seemed to convey some sadness. He faintly shook his head as he turned his back to Vlad, then jumped into the portal and disappeared.

Danny reached out. "Wait, don't—"

Suddenly, a tiny green ghost emerged from the ground and flew into the portal just before it closed. Danny was surprised, but then realized that Skulker must have followed him after their fight.

Danny stared at the spot the portal had just been. He turned around as he heard footsteps coming from behind.

_Vlad._

He had a difficult time suppressing his urge to beat the man up right here and now, but he knew it would ruin his reputation if word got out. After all, whether he liked it or not, Vlad was still the mayor.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, you crazed-up fruitloop."

The billionaire halted, his hands placed behind the small of his back, and looked at the boy with a neutral expression. Once again his destiny had been thwarted by that insufferable brat. He now wished Skulker had never told him about that creature's existence.

He did figure out what had caused such a violent reaction from the ghost towards Daniel.

Vlad had learned about Juukka's history from a scroll he had obtained years ago during an expedition deep within the Ghost Zone. At the time he had simply dismissed it as nonsense, an amusing fairy tale at best, until Skulker had told him about the emergence of a strange ghost after returning from his latest hunt.

The first Juukka was designed by the Ancients to protect the innocent, but wasn't as perfect as they wanted everyone to believe. The ghost developed a habit of only trusting those who were defenseless, while distrusting anyone who possessed at least a certain amount of strength. It was a weakness that turned into an obsession and was exploited by those who pretended to be weak in order to destroy their rivals.

Just like he had done with Juukka and Daniel.

The Ancients did everything they could to keep his unwanted behavior - and the innocents who died as a consequence - a secret. But those events were still written down and sealed within their archives.

The ghost Daniel had fought tonight was a replica. A weaker and less advanced version of the original, but one who had still inherited the obsession of its predecessor. After the emergence of this Juukka two weeks ago, and after calling in a few favors - and making a few concessions - Vlad had been able to learn everything he could about this new development.

This replica had been created by the followers of King Grulik, ruler of the Griffin Kingdom. Mythological creatures who had established their home in a secluded part of the Ghost Zone.

King Grulik and his subjects had discovered a Vault of the Ancients within their territory. After studying the knowledge they found, King Grulik wanted to create a second Juukka in order to protect his people. When it became known how much strength this ghost really possessed, an uprising within the Royal Guard threw the Griffins into disarray. The still dormant Juukka was taken away by those who believed the Griffins had become too peaceful under Grulik's rule.

Fearing for the future of their kingdoms, Prince Aragon and King Grulik struck an alliance and assaulted the rebels together. In the chaos that ensued Juukka escaped before he could be unleashed onto the Ghost Zone.

When Vlad had gathered all the information he needed, he set out with Skulker to capture that ghost for himself.

It had all been for nothing...

 _About one thing you can be certain, Daniel,_ Vlad thought as he continued to stare at the younger half-ghost, slightly raising an eyebrow.  _I'll make you pay for this. I don't know how, I don't know when, but I'll surely think of something._ Vlad took a deep breath and calmed himself. He smirked and casually brushed off some dust from his suit.

"Well Daniel, this has been quite a night, hasn't it?"

Before Danny could reply he and Vlad heard sirens in the distance. The sounds were quickly coming closer. They gave each other a look of alarm.

"Oh-oh," the two half-ghosts said in unison.

* * *

"What!? Commissioner Maxwell, you're saying that the mayor has disappeared?" The officer was in utter shock.

Maxwell, who had just stepped out of a police car, replied, "Yes, he has. I just came from City Hall where I attended a meeting with him about an hour ago. He left the office for a quick break but never returned."

"Is that why you ordered our anti-ghost unit to enter the district just moments ago? I thought we were under orders from the may—"

"Mayor Masters is no longer in command, obviously." Maxwell replied. "We've received calls from witnesses claiming they've seen the mayor there, and that he appears to be wounded."

The officer gasped. "Oh no."

"You see why I had to make this decision? We can't afford to wait any longer."

"I understand, sir, but are there no—" The officer stopped when he heard the agitated voices of his colleagues.

Maxwell turned around, seeing others pointing towards something in the air. He stepped forward to get a better view. His mouth fell open.

"Isn't that...?"

"Yes it is, sir." The officer said with a smile. "It's Mayor Masters and he's being carried by Danny Phantom."

Maxwell sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

"They appear to be wounded though," the officer continued, his smile changing into a look of worry.

* * *

"Look, Daniel." Vlad's left arm was resting on Danny's shoulders. "They're all making room for us. When everyone hears how you saved the life of Amity Park's mayor you'll be considered a hero even more. Not to mention that this 'kidnapping' will make my ratings skyrocket, especially now that you're here to confirm my story." He chuckled. "I'm so glad you saw the value of my proposal, my dear boy. This way we'll both benefit from this unfortunate series of events."

Danny gave the man a scowl. "You threatened to tell everyone I was behind your disappearance. It's not like I had another choice," the teen said irritably.

Vlad grinned, "No, you didn't. After all, if I recall correctly, you had been caught in the process of kidnapping the previous mayor, right?"

Danny's eyes glowed intensely. "That wasn't— " He looked down. "Someday I'll get you back for this, Masters."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you will," the billlionaire said off-handedly. "But for now, smile."

The boy gave Vlad, who was already smiling, one last glare before looking at the people on the ground. He saw an open spot where he could land, and headed in that direction while forcing himself to smile. Noticing the bright lights of TV crews and photographers gathered below, the teen realized that he wouldn't be going home for quite a while.

 


	10. Epilogue

It's almost over. I could never have finished this fanfic without my two awesome beta-readers, Bluemoonalto and Pearl84. Thank you so much for everything!

For everyone who has read this story: Thank you so much! I hope you liked it. 

_Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. The series and all its characters are property of Butch Hartman._

* * *

 

_4:00 AM_

For what felt like a hundredth time Danny rolled over and buried his head in his pillows. He had been lying in bed for almost two hours but still hadn't managed to fall asleep. The long shower hadn't helped either.

A wisp of blue smoke escaped from his mouth. "Oh no," he groaned _._  "Not again, not now." He slowly turned around, and his half-closed eyes shot open when he saw someone sitting on the foot of his bed.

"You!"

It was that ghost again. The same ghost who had given him so much trouble, and Danny felt slightly unnerved he had somehow managed to find him so soon.

"W-What are you doing here?"

Juukka looked back at him. His shoulders slumped and his eyes filled with remorse,

An uneasy silence hung in the air. The ghost lowered his eyes.

Danny realized why he had come here. "Juukka?"

He slowly lifted his head, afraid to look at him.

"You're feeling sorry, aren't you?"

The ghost nodded before looking down again. He was now gazing at his feet and seemed to nervously wait for the boy's reaction.

Danny smiled. "You don't have to be sorry. Vlad tricked us both." He slowly reached out and placed his hand on the ghost's shoulder. Juukka tensed for a second but then visibly relaxed. "I'm not mad at you, really."

Juukka gave Danny a grateful look. He moved closer and reached forward, enveloping the teen in a gentle hug. It took Danny a few moments of surprise before he returned the embrace.

He heard a voice in his mind.

_"I'm sorry."_

_"Thank you."_

_"Thank you so much."_

Juukka slowly pulled away. He raised his right hand, palm open, and held it in front of him. Instinctively, and before he could even question the gesture, Danny did the same. Somehow, maybe because he was part ghost, he knew what his intentions were.

As the palms of their hands made contact, a green glow formed around them.

That night, a grateful Juukka patiently answered every question Danny had.

That night, he had made a new friend.

And his name was  _Danny Phantom_.

* * *

_6:00 AM_

Danny was standing in front of the ghost portal in his parent's lab. He clenched a fist. After Juukka had shown him his origins Danny had realized this ghost would never find peace. He was being hunted either because the other ghosts viewed him as a threat or because they wanted his power.

He wouldn't be safe in the Ghost Zone or in the human world; they would just follow him wherever he went.

But that didn't mean there wasn't something he could do.

What Juukka needed was a home. He needed someone to watch over him; someone no one would dare to mess with.

There was only one realm in the Ghost Zone where he would be safe.

Danny changed into Phantom. He winced as the rings spread across his body. It was going to take time for his ghost-half to recover. He was grateful he could still transform, but he needed to be careful with his powers for awhile.

Danny stared at the open portal. He was going to see a friend.

The teen smiled.

No, not just a friend. He considered him one of his closest friends. Someone who gave him a second chance...

He was going to see Clockwork.

* * *

A cloaked figure was looking into a portal. Its faint glow revealing a warm expression on his features. "Your compassion for others will become your greatest strength, Daniel."

Looking satisfied, the figure changed into a child-like form.

"Everything is as it's supposed to be."

Clockwork smirked. The Observants were not going to be happy with this arrangement.

He already knew he was going to enjoy telling them.

* * *

_9:30 AM_

Jacqueline had put everything on the table for breakfast. Her father was still showering so she walked to the living room where the TV was still on. She sat down on the couch for about a minute, staring somewhat bored at the screen. They kept repeating the news about the incident last night, as well as the interview with Mayor Masters and Danny Phantom.

She couldn't really explain why, but at the way Danny Phantom and Mayor Masters were looking at each other between questions it felt as if something wasn't right between them. With a sigh Jacqueline stood up and turned off the TV.

She stifled a yawn. It had been a long night and they had only gotten home around 2:30 AM.  _Dad's car is probably still being checked for ghost residues or something._ Despite everything that happened last night her father told her he had slept quite well. She on the other hand, had not. Stifling another yawn, she headed upstairs, intending to grab her favorite book from her bedroom. She knew her dad took long showers, and it would probably be a while before he was ready for breakfast.

Jacqueline froze as she reached the last stair. There was someone looking around in her room. She recognized the figure immediately.

_It's him!_

The girl rushed to her room and gasped at what she saw. Sitting on his hind legs in front of her bed was the ghost who had saved her life. She couldn't believe her eyes. There was a real ghost in her very own bedroom!

Jacqueline could tell he was nervous. She smiled and hoped it would make him feel more at ease. He slightly tilted his head and gave her a curious look.

She noticed the ghost wasn't very tall. If it wasn't for his helmet, she guessed he might even be a little shorter than her.

Jacqueline slowly moved closer - the ghost following her every movement - before sitting on the floor in front of him. Although she tried to be careful he still leaned back somewhat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just..." She gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you... for saving our lives."

The ghost rubbed the back of his head. He made several short sounds, fluctuating in pitch. She didn't understand what he was saying, but there was a light, almost playful tone to them.

The girl placed a hand on her chest. "My name is Jacqueline or Jackie. It's nice to meet you. Do you have a name?"

He looked down for a moment as if pondering something. He then slowly raised his right hand, opened it and held it in front of her. Surprised, she followed his movements, but wasn't sure what his intentions were.

"Do you want me to place my hand against yours?" She felt somewhat nervous, an uneasy feeling rising in the pit of her stomach, but she decided to trust him.

He nodded and slightly tilted his head again. There was an understanding in his glowing eyes, and Jacqueline knew he wouldn't hold it against her if she refused.

She gave a small smile. "Let's do it." She moved her hand closer while the ghost did the same. As their hands made contact she could feel his fur pressing against her palm. A green aura spread outwards from their hands and enveloped their bodies.

Jacqueline gasped. "I... I can hear you." The ghost lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"Your... Your name is Juukka."

Images started to appear before her eyes. Each image seemed to tell her a story and she soon realized that Juukka was communicating with her through his mind. Closing her eyes, Jacqueline concentrated on what the ghost was showing her. She learned about his past, the Ghost Zone and the portals linking their worlds together.

Juukka moved back his hand and the aura around them dissolved. She looked at him. He avoided her gaze.

Jacqueline tried to make eye contact, feeling sympathy well up inside. "Juukka."

He didn't look up.

Suddenly, before even realizing the consequences of her actions, she pulled him into a hug and wrapped her arms around him. She shivered as a chill spread through her body, and then panicked when she realized she had no idea how a ghost would react to physical contact. Let alone if she should even be hugging a ghost in the first place. Her dad would have a fit if he saw this.

She felt Juukka's body tense but her worries eased when he relaxed after a few moments. She didn't see his grateful look before he placed his right paw on her back. He willed the four jagged spikes sticking out from his helmet both intangible and invisible before resting his head on the girl's shoulder. In response, she held him even closer, and realized he was no longer feeling cold anymore.

" **Jacqueline!"**

The teen gasped.  _Dad!_

Both Jacqueline and Juukka looked up in panic at the baffled man, who was standing in her bedroom doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist. His face frozen in utter shock.

But not for long.

His expression changed from astonishment into anger. "You! Get away from my daughter, you freak!"

Jacqueline immediately got up and stood between a nervous ghost and her steaming father. "Dad, you don't understand. He's not evil, he's—"

Her dad almost seemed to explode.  _"I don't understand!?"_  He turned towards a shaking Juukka, who was now holding up his hands in a non-threatening gesture. He pointed a trembling finger at the creature, adrenaline surging through the man's body. "Get out! You hear me!? Get OUT!"

Juukka let out a high-pitched yelp, spun around, willed himself intangible and leaped through the window.

Jacqueline went after him and threw open the window. "No, please wait!" She could see him disappearing over the hedge into the alley. "He's gone." Only then did she notice their neighbor, Mrs. Watson, pausing from hanging the laundry in her yard to give her a weird look. Somewhat embarrassed, she closed the window. She turned around and found herself looking directly into the eyes of her trembling dad, whose face had turned red. Nervous sweat glinstened on his forehead.

"Did I hear that right?" he said, his voice filled with disbelief. "You actually wanted him to stay?" There was a brief pause as he moved back.

"Yes, I did." It had been quite a while since she had seen her dad this furious, although she could understand why. "Dad, didn't you recognize him? It was the same ghost from last night. You know, the one who saved our lives."

The harsh look on her father melted a bit. "Well, that might be true, but he's still a ghost." His expression hardened again. "And ghosts can't be trusted!" He made a swiping motion with his arm as if to emphasize the point. "Not after everything they've done to us."

Jacqueline crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Dad, what about Danny Phantom? You said plenty of times you trust him."

In an instant, the man's angry expression changed into one of confusion. "Ehh...well..."

He stayed silent, his frown indicating he was thinking about something. Jacqueline didn't say anything. She knew her dad well.

To her surprise, he turned around and walked away. He halted in the doorway and sighed. "You know, Jackie." He looked at his daughter, and gave her a small but warm smile. "Why don't we discuss this at breakfast? I'm going to get dressed."

Jacqueline smiled back. "Okay, dad."

As soon as her father went into his own room her smile vanished. Although she was glad her dad wasn't angry anymore, she felt worried about the ghost. She stared at her ceiling; the images still dancing before her eyes. She had no idea how it felt to be hunted all the time, to always be on the run.

Juukka was an experiment. His creators wanted to use him as a weapon. He escaped just before those griffon-like ghosts were able to take control of him. She felt anger rising within her. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? He just wants to live in peace.

She sighed and moved back to the window. Her mouth fell open. She could see a figure on the roof of the house at the other side of their backyard. She recognized him immediately.

Another image flashed before her eyes, showing the moment when she had held the ghost's hand, just after the accident on the intersection last night.

She heard a voice in her mind.

 

_Thank you so much... friend._

There was a feeling of uncertainty coming from the ghost.

_We are friends... aren't we?_

"Of course we are!" Jacqueline blurted out. Only to realize she had said that out loud. Her dad's voice came from the next room.

"Did you say something, Jackie?"

She turned away from the window. "I'm just figuring out where I put my book. Everything's okay."

"If you haven't found it after I'm dressed I'll help you look."

"Thanks, dad." She felt guilty lying to her father like that, especially because she had given him such a scare, but she just wanted this moment to last a little longer.

Jacqueline turned back towards the window. She gasped. There was someone standing next to Juukka on the roof.

It was Danny Phantom.

After Phantom said something, Juukka suddenly jumped up, threw his arms around the boy's neck and hugged him. Jacqueline couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Juukka then let go and pointed in her direction. Jacqueline's mouth fell open. Her mind took a moment to register that Amity Park's hero was now looking at her. Danny Phantom seemed surprised at first, but then smiled and before she knew it, both ghosts were waving at her.

Her dad was  _not_  going to believe this.

And from that moment, Jacqueline knew she would see him again.

She waved back at them, smiling.

"Until next time, my friend."

* * *

**The End**

 


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